


Volume 2: Consort of Friendship

by ChristaWolf



Series: Tails of Sparks and Emmy [2]
Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23068720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChristaWolf/pseuds/ChristaWolf
Summary: Things have changed for Twilight Sparkle and Emerald Wave. With Twilight having recently ascended to the role of princess, she and Emerald must adjust to her new role in Equestria, and navigate the changing nature of their own relationship, as Emerald discovers being a princess consort has significance all its own.
Series: Tails of Sparks and Emmy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1559458





	1. The Adventure of the Stolen Crown: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Twilight and her consort, Emerald Wave, arrive in the Crystal Empire for a royal summit, but a shocking theft leads the two of them to discover a new world, with only limited time to stop an evil plan. Based on the first Equestria Girls movie.

High up in the Crystal Empire, the sun was beginning to set. At the train station, the Ponyville Express pulled into view, and off it stepped Princess Twilight Sparkle and her her consort, Emerald Wave. The two of them were in town for Twilight’s first royal summit as a princess. (Her coronation had been a short while ago.)

“Gotta say, that was a much more relaxed journey than the one we had the last time we came up here,” Emerald commented, as she and Twilight walked together toward the castle in the distance. “Looking forward to the summit, Sparks?”

Twilight shrugged. "Oh, I _am_ excited. But, to be honest, I'm a little nervous, too.” She sighed, pawing at the ground with her hooves. “Being a princess is just so much to get used to… What if now that I'm a princess, Celestia expects me to lead a kingdom of my own? Just because I have this crown and these wings, it doesn't mean I'll be a good leader!”

Emerald placed a hoof on her marefriend’s snout, quieting her. “Sparks, trust me on this: Celestia isn’t going to throw anything at you that you’re not ready for. Besides, this is just a summit! You’ll be fine!”

“You really think so?” Twilight asked in a small voice.

Emerald nodded. “One hundred percent. Besides, you’ve got me! And you know I’ll always back you up!”

Twilight blushed as they resumed their journey. “You really are a great marefriend, Emmy. I love you.”

Emerald kissed Twilight’s cheek, leaning up slightly to do so. “Love you too, Sparks.”

* * *

Before too long, the two of them reached the castle. As they entered the throne room, about half a dozen Crystal Pony guards holding horns played a musical fanfare, much to Twilight’s bemusement.

“Behold! Princess Twilight Sparkle!” cried one of the guards.

Princess Cadance approached, and she and Twilight quickly did their ladybugs awake routine. Then she said, “Twilight! I haven’t seen you since the coronation!” They embraced. “How have you been?!”

“I’m fine, Cadance,” Twilight replied, nuzzling her sister-in-law. “It’s good to see you too!”

Before Twilight could say anything else, Cadance grabbed Emerald and hugged her too. “And there’s my _future_ sister-in-law! I’m glad you came up, Emerald, it wouldn’t do to have Twilight here alone!”

Emerald blushed bright red. “Even if her friends weren’t back in Ponyville getting ready for the Summer Sun Celebration, I’d still come! I’d be a pretty lame marefriend if I didn’t!”

“Truly, your loyalty to Princess Twilight is one of your best qualities, Lady Wave,” said a voice. Luna was now entering the throne room, accompanied by Celestia. “Her ascension affects you as well, but tonight is not the time for such discussion.”

Celestia nodded in agreement. “We have so much to discuss. But it can wait until tomorrow.” She nuzzled her former student. “The guest quarters are to the left, Twilight. Sleep well.”

“Goodnight, Celestia,” replied Twilight, smiling. “See you tomorrow.”

* * *

Emerald yawned as she and Twilight entered the [room](http://bit.ly/3aiiZ1t) that had been prepared for them. Like everything else, it was made of crystal, with a large four-poster bed, several windows, and a small vanity. “Sheesh… who knew eight hours on a train could tired a filly out, huh?”

“No kidding,” said Twilight, placing her crown on their nightstand. She stared at it thoughtfully, her face reflected in the star-shaped jewel at its center. “I’m really glad you’re here, Emerald… I wouldn’t want to be alone tonight.”

Emerald frowned some as she climbed into the bed. “You okay?”

“I guess so,” said Twilight, shrugging again. “I guess I’m just nervous… I’m not an ordinary pony anymore, Emmy. What if my royal duties start taking me away from you?”

Emerald hugged her. “Hey, hey… one step at a time, Twilight. And besides, royal duties or no, there isn’t a force in Equestria that could make me leave you.” She smiled. “Let’s get some sleep, huh? Big day tomorrow.”

“Yeah, big day,” echoed Twilight, climbing into bed beside Emerald. She wrapped a wing around the yellow unicorn’s barrel, and before too long both of them were asleep.

* * *

Just an hour had passed since Twilight and Emerald had gone to sleep. In a different part of the castle, a magic mirror built by Starswirl the Bearded began to glow. It was shaped like an elongated horseshoe, with a purple frame and a pane of glass that rippled like water whenever the enchantments placed upon it were being used, as it did now.

Through the rippling glass stepped a pony wearing a black cloak. Her name was Sunset Shimmer. Beneath the cloak, she had amber fur with a red and yellow mane and tail. Her eyes were a blue-green color, which matched her magic aura.

Moving as quietly as possible, Sunset used her magic to open the doors of the mirror room and swiftly crept down the hall, evading the Canterlot unicorn guard as she went. She soon reached the door of the guest room and opened it, heading inside.

While Emerald and Twilight slept, Sunset quickly made her way across the bedroom to the nightstand, took Twilight’s crown in her own magic, and swapped it with an identical copy, placing the real deal inside her saddlebags. But as she began heading back toward the door, she tripped over Emerald’s saddlebags, crying out in surprise.

Emerald sat bolt upright and looked across the room at Sunset, frowning. “Who’s there?!” she called out, squinting in the semi-darkness.

Sunset turned around, her horn glowing as she prepared a silencing spell, but Emerald leapt out of bed and threw up a shield, as Twilight had shown her when they’d begun working on building up Emerald’s magical prowess.

Twilight, waking at Emerald’s shout, saw something glittering in Sunset’s bag and knew what it was immediately. “My crown! She's got my crown!” she yelled, leaping out of bed and galloping after the fleeing Sunset. “Stop! Thief! She's stolen my crown!”

Twilight’s voice bounced off the crystalline walls of the castle, awakening the other princesses (except Luna, who was up already) and rousing the guards to action. A great chase ensued as Twilight, Emerald, and half a dozen royal guards all tried to intercept Sunset, but she slipped through their hooves like water.

Returning to the room where the mirror stood, Twilight tackled Sunset to the ground, but the crown fell out of the bag, bounced on the floor once, and flew through the glass pane of the mirror, disappearing from sight.

“What did you do with my crown?!” Twilight exclaimed, visibly furious. “Are you crazy?!”

Sunset smirked as she got to her hooves and trotted back to the portal. “Sorry it had to be this way... _Princess,_ ” she said, spitting out the title like it was poison. Then she stepped through the portal, and was gone.

* * *

“I just can’t believe it,” said Twilight, sitting on the mirror room’s floor a short while later with a forlorn look on her face. “Who was that mare? Why would she take my crown?! Where did she go?!”

The other three princesses entered the room at that moment, led by Celestia. “I believe I can answer one of your questions, Twilight,” she said, her voice soft. “That pony could only have been Sunset Shimmer, a former student of mine. She began her studies with me not long before you did.”

“I thought she looked familiar,” Cadance observed. “I remember I was foalsitting Twilight one afternoon, during midterm exams at the School for Gifted Unicorns. I saw her studying at a picnic table..”

Celestia nodded. “Sunset was second only to Twilight in terms of raw magical talent, but she was also very ambitious. When she did not get what she wanted as quickly as she liked, she turned cruel and dishonest.” She sighed. “I tried to help her, but she eventually decided to abandon her studies and pursue her own path, one that has sadly led to her stealing Twilight’s crown.”

Emerald held up the fake crown in her magic. “She replaced Twilight's with this one.” While similar in size and shape to the real thing, it was obviously thrown together, and otherwise would not have passed muster in the light of day.

Celestia took the duplicate in her own magic and inspected it closely. “I suppose Sunset Shimmer thought you wouldn't notice right away that this was not yours, Twilight,” she began. “And by the time you did, it would be too late to go after your crown and Element of Harmony.”

“But I don't understand,” Twilight said. “Where did she take the crown?”

“That is a more complicated question,” Luna replied, gesturing to the mirror. “As you are now aware, this is no ordinary mirror. It is a gateway to another world. It has always been kept in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, but when Princess Cadance took over the Crystal Empire, we sent it here for her to watch over.”

“I had always hoped that Sunset Shimmer would someday use it to return, to come back to Equestria seeking my guidance,” added Celestia. “Obviously, this is not what has happened.”

Twilight gaped. “Another _world_? That’s amazing! Who built it? What world does it lead to?”

Luna smiled slightly. “You are familiar with the story of Starswirl the Bearded and his defeat of the sirens, yes?”

Emerald raised a hoof. “I’m not. Mind giving us the cliffs-notes version?”

“Certainly.” Luna cleared her throat and began. “Thousands of moons ago, before my sister and I took the throne of Equestria, a unicorn scholar named Stygian encountered three beautiful but dangerous creatures outside his village: the sirens.”

Luna used her magic to produce an image of Stygian and the Dazzlings, in a fashion not unlike a storybook. “The sirens had the power to charm ponies with their music. But to maintain this power, they had to feed on the negativity and distrust of others.” The image changed to show groups of ponies fighting with one another, with the sirens at the center of the image.

“The more of this negative energy they consumed, the stronger their voices became, and the farther they could spread their dark magic,” Luna continued. “If the sirens had their way, they would have divided and conquered all of Equestria.”

“What happened to them?” Emerald asked.

“Stygian traversed Equestria, meeting six ponies whom he believed would be able to vanquish the sirens,” Luna said. “These were Rockhoof, Mistmane, Meadowbrook, Somnambula, Flash Magnus, and of course Starswirl himself. They became known as the Pillars of Equestria, and enacted a desperate plan to defeat the sirens: first by confusing them and freeing those who had been brainwashed, then by opening a portal to a realm without magic. The plan succeeded, and following the sirens’ defeat, Starswirl began to investigate the existence of parallel realities, building this mirror to contain his portal spell.”

“Woooooow…” Twilight was looking utterly awestruck. “I had no idea he built a mirror! Does lead to the same world the sirens were banished to?”

Luna nodded. “Because that realm has no magic, Starswirl placed several protective enchantments on this portal to protect it from magical incursions. Firstly, a spell to strip any incoming creature of their own innate magic. While we do not know what lies beyond the mirror, I can safely say that when you step through, you will no longer be able to use your unicorn magic, nor your flight or strength.”

Twilight had taken out a notebook and was currently jotting down notes. “What other spells were there?”

“Precautions,” Luna answered. “One spell locks the gateway to a specific window of time in which it can be open, in this case, once every thirty moons. When you cross over, you will have a little bit less than a week to return home. Otherwise, the portal will close, and And once it does, it will be another thirty moons before you will be able to use it to return.”

“And the next precaution?” Twilight asked.

“In the event of a magical incursion, such as taking an Element of Harmony into an alternate world, those affected may develop pony characteristics for a brief period,” Luna said. “The effects are temporary and will reverse themselves after a short time, provided the portal on the other side remains undamaged. If it were, that could cause a thaumaturgical feedback loop.”

Emerald blinked. “What’s that?”

“Well, let’s say Sunset were to damage the portal with my element,” Twilight began. “If she did, that would cause magic to leak into the other world, altering its physical laws to be similar to ours. The extra magic would then cause more damage, and that in turn would cause still _more_ magic to flow, and so on until eventually, the portal would overload and create an explosion. Combine that with the transformative component, and we might end up changing an entire species into ponies.”

Emerald gulped. “Oookay, that sounds bad. Sounds like we need to get your crown back ASAP.”

“Exactly,” Cadance agreed. “Without it, the other Elements of Harmony have no power and Equestria is left without one of its most important means of defense.”

Luna nodded too. “Your crown does not belong in the place Sunset Shimmer now calls home. And in her possession, your Element of Harmony will no doubt be used to bring harm to the inhabitants of this other realm. They will _not_ have the power to defend themselves.”

“You understand the importance of your task?” Celestia asked.

Twilight nodded. “Of course.”

“Good,” Celestia replied. “You will have to leave as soon as I have risen the sun.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked. “I don’t know how I can sleep with all of this hanging over me!”

Luna smiled. “I can ensure you have a dreamless sleep, Twilight Sparkle. It shall take but a moment.” She touched her horn to Twilight’s, and both horns glowed blue for a few seconds. “It is done. Return to your chambers at once, you will not have trouble falling asleep.”

Twilight smiled. “Thanks, Luna… I guess I just have one more question… can Emerald come with me?”

There was a brief pause as the three princesses considered the question. Finally, Cadance spoke. “I wouldn’t dream of separating my favorite sister-in-law from her special somepony… and she may be an asset in navigating the other world.” She smirked slightly. “And even if I said no, I have the feeling she’d go anyway.”

Emerald nodded. “Count on it.”

“Then it is decided,” said Luna, casting the same spell on Emerald that she had on Twilight. “Upon the morrow, the two of you shall venture forth and retrieve Twilight’s crown. Good night, and good luck.”

Twilight bowed her head. “Goodnight, everypony… and thank you.” And, once again, she and Emerald departed for their bedroom.

* * *

Sunset Shimmer grinned to herself as she climbed out of the portal, getting to her feet easily. She wasn’t a pony in this other world, instead she was a creature called a human. While her human form had a similar look to her unicorn one, (amber skin, red and yellow hair, the same blue-green eyes) she also stood on two legs rather than four, had no tail, and possessed hands and feet rather than hooves. Adjusting to such a different shape had been hard at first, but after two and a half years here, none of the humans she knew would ever suspect she had once been a pony.

Throwing the cloak off herself, she picked up the crown from where it had fallen and put it back in her backpack, before starting the short walk from the portal statue to the [apartment](http://bit.ly/2wYDQsd) where she’d been living after its previous occupants had moved out. It was sparsely decorated, but since she knew she’d be ruling Equestria as its queen in a few days and would never see this place again, that hardly mattered.

Once she got home, she climbed the stairs to her loft and put her bag down next to her nightstand, flopping down on the bed. Even if Princess Twilight came to retrieve her crown, she’d be at a disadvantage. Sunset had spent the last thirty moons bending these humans to her will, there was no way Twilight would be able to undo that, especially not with just six days before the Fall Formal.

Sunset let herself smile as she drifted off to sleep. There was no possible way she could lose, and that made her happy.

* * *

The next morning began just like any other day in the city of Canterlot. The morning sun shone bright as it bathed the town in light, and the air had a distinct crispness to it that only came with early fall. At Canterlot High School, yellow school buses pulled up and dropped off dozens of teenagers of varying ages before pulling away again to head for the bus depot.

On the front lawn of the school was a tall statue of a rearing horse, with a large plinth supporting it. No one was quite sure when it had showed up, but the prevailing theory was that it had been there when the school opened in the 1930s, and had once marked the geographic center of town, though decades of suburban expansion meant that was no longer true.

It was only when the trickle of buses had begun to slow and most of the students were inside did anything peculiar happen. One side of the plinth, the side facing the front steps, began to ripple like a pond after a stone had been dropped into it. Then, two figures flew from it and landed spread-eagled on the ground.

“Oh buck… I feel like I got hit by one of Big Mac’s apple carts,” muttered one of the figures. Both of them were girls of about 16 or so, and one had soft yellow skin and curly brown hair, while the other had soft lavender skin and blue hair streaked with purple and pink. What was more, both of them now wore clothes: the yellow girl had on blue denim jeans, a dark t-shirt with sleeves that went to her elbows, glasses with dark blue frames, and red and white tennis shoes.

“Me too,” groaned the purple girl. She opened her eyes, and for several seconds her vision blurred as she tried to get her bearings. Then, very slowly, she brought her front limbs in front of her and found that instead of hooves, she had hands, not unlike those of a minotaur. She had clothes too, she wore a light blue blouse with a purple skirt that had her cutie mark on one side, a pink bow tie, and purple platform shoes with pink socks. Slung around her shoulders was a blue backpack.

“Okaaaaaay…” Twilight said, looking at her hands with curiosity and bewilderment. “Luna didn’t mention we’d change too!” She tried to get up, and found her new body didn’t seem comfortable on all fours. Remembering minotaurs, Twilight used the plinth to help her stand, this time on two legs. “Emerald, do you need help standing?”

“Please,” she replied, not having moved an inch. Twilight gripped Emerald’s hand in hers, and soon both of them were standing.

Emerald looked at herself, looking shocked and somewhat disturbed. “Sparks… what the buck are we? Some kinda freakish mutant monkey thing?”

“It seems like it,” Twilight agreed, nodding. “The portal must have changed our physiological blueprint when we crossed over to help us fit in.”

Emerald nodded. “And that means what, in plain ponish?”

“It means our species,” replied Twilight. “The portal changed our species so we won’t attract unwanted attention.”

Emerald sighed. “Well, that’s just great. Six days in an alternate dimension in weird freaky naked monkey bodies. Remind me to grab some of AJ’s hard cider when we get home, huh?”

Twilight chuckled. “We’ll see. Come on, let’s try walking.” And so, remembering how Iron Will had moved, she took a step forward.. and promptly fell over. “Waaaugh!” she cried, face planting on the sidewalk leading to the front steps.

Just behind them, the last bus of the morning pulled up at that moment, and a crowd of students got off, chattering among themselves. No one paid any attention to the two transformed ponies, even though Twilight was trying and failing to keep her balance on her new legs.

Suddenly, there came the sound of a throat clearing, and a [girl](https://i.imgur.com/OMLjx5c.png) with light grey skin, brownish-red hair, and green eyes approached. She was wearing a blue sweater, a gold necklace with a clock-shaped charm attached, dark trousers, and black heels. The girl smiled, and spoke in a soft Trottingham accent: “Excuse me, but are you two quite alright?”

“Not exactly,” Twilight admitted, now standing on all fours again.

“Allow me to help you up then,” said the girl, offering her hand for Twilight to take. Twilight took it and quickly got up, then helped Emerald again.

Twilight smiled. “Thanks… that was very nice of you.”

“No trouble at all,” said the girl, still smiling. She held on to Twilight’s hand, and soon Twilight was able to walk on two legs. Emerald followed, and together the three of them climbed the stairs and entered the school building.

“What _is_ this place?” Twilight asked, looking around the main [foyer](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/f6e0ede0-4003-4b71-b1bd-925dc003f28c/d9qknyo-2827ad50-da9a-4fbd-8519-5aa12b217257.png/v1/fill/w_1024,h_572,q_75,strp/equestria_girls_canterlot_high_inside_vector_by_ravecrocker-d9qknyo.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwic3ViIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl0sIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiIvZi9mNmUwZWRlMC00MDAzLTRiNzEtYjFiZC05MjVkYzAwM2YyOGMvZDlxa255by0yODI3YWQ1MC1kYTlhLTRmYmQtODUxOS01YWExMmIyMTcyNTcucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTEwMjQiLCJoZWlnaHQiOiI8PTU3MiJ9XV19.9xfSGuqDkL1Ym8GlEnr4PY0gy93SMqW_WkRrveEMT5c) of CHS with an awestruck expression.

“This is Canterlot High School,” the girl replied patiently. “Are you new here?”

“You might say that,” Emerald said. “I’m Emerald Wave, and this is Twilight Sparkle.”

“A pleasure to meet you both,” the girl said. “I am Gemini Shadow, and don’t worry, I’m new here too. I only started here last week.” She turned right, heading toward a staircase that led to a second floor, where there were hundreds of green lockers. “Do you have your class schedules?” she asked as she opened hers and began taking out books.

Twilight shook her head. “We’re, uh, really new,” she said.

Gem chuckled. “So I see. In that case, Principal Celestia can help with that. Her office is down the hall and the third door on your left.”

“Thank you so much!” Twilight chirped. “Actually, while you’re here, have you seen anypon- I mean, _anybody_ , carrying anything that looked like a crown?”

Gem shook her head. “I’m afraid not, but if anyone has, I’m sure Celestia will be able to tell you.” She closed her locker door. “I’d talk more, but I really must get to class.” She began walking toward a classroom, but halfway there she turned and waved. “Feel free to come look for me at lunch!”

“We will!” Twilight called, before setting off toward the administration area, somehow managing not to fall over.

“These bodies are awful,” Emerald muttered as they hurried along. “How in the world do these creatures manage without tails? I feel like I’m standing on stilts here! And why are their teats so high up?!”

“I wish I knew, Emmy, I wish I knew,” Twilight said, as [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OflEaL-DX5o) began to play. Then she started to sing:

> _I've never seen a place_
> 
> _That's quite like this_
> 
> _Everything is turned around_
> 
> _This crazy world is upside-down_
> 
> _Getting on my feet_
> 
> _It's the hand that I was dealt_
> 
> _But I don't have much time with them_
> 
> _Got to learn all that I can_
> 
> _They don't use any magic or fly with any wings_
> 
> _I don't get these funny clothes, skinny legs or tiny nose_
> 
> _Everything's confusing when it seems so new_
> 
> _But I look a little closer and it starts to feel familiar too_
> 
> _What a strange new world_
> 
> _I'm trying to make heads or tails of this strange new world_
> 
> _Sorting through the small details of this strange new world_

Emerald added her own verse:

> _I've never seen a place_
> 
> _That's quite like this_
> 
> _Wearing shoes when they walk,_
> 
> _Pets that don’t know how to talk._

> _Schools instead of castles,_
> 
> _and hands instead of hooves._
> 
> _Learning all we can here,_
> 
> _‘cause we don’t have time to lose._

Then they duetted:

> _What a strange new world_
> 
> _I'm trying to make heads or tails of this strange new world_
> 
> _Sorting through the small details of this strange new world_

By the time the song ended, they had reached the [admin area](http://bit.ly/38aKXKT). There were two doors, one with a sun above it and the other with a crescent moon. Between them was a little work area with a desk that had a computer monitor sitting on top of it.

Sitting in a chair behind the desk was a white-skinned [woman](http://bit.ly/2wfwwIf) with dark brown hair and eyes, wearing a crisp blue business suit and skirt with a white dress shirt and a red cravat, with dark grey pantyhose and pumps that matched the suit.

As Twilight and Emerald approached, the woman looked up from her computer screen and smiled. “New students?” she asked.

Twilight nodded. “Super new. I am Twilight Sparkle, and this is Emerald Wave.”

“I’m Raven Inkwell, Principal Celestia’s secretary,” said the woman. “I’ll tell her you’re coming.” She pressed a button on a small intercom and spoke into it. “Two new students to see you, ma’am.” A brief pause, and then: “You can go in now, ladies.”

Twilight nodded and opened the door with the sun above it to reveal a warmly-painted [office](http://bit.ly/38ckVHl) with a wooden desk taking up most of the space. Seated behind it was this world’s version of Celestia, complete with the colorful wavy hair, though she also had pale pink skin, and wore a soft golden colored suit jacket with a purple dress shirt and pants. Pinned to her lapel was a sun badge.

Celestia smiled. “How may I help you?” she asked. “Raven says you’re new students.”

Twilight nodded eagerly, “My name's Twilight Sparkle, and this is Emerald Wave.”

“Very nice to meet you both,” Celestia said, pulling open a desk drawer and taking out a couple pieces of paper. “Let me just get your basic information and I’ll have Raven print out a couple schedules for you. Addresses?”

Twilight and Emerald quickly gave Celestia their old Canterlot addresses: In Twilight’s case, it was the Sparkle family home that she had lived in before becoming Princess Celestia’s student, and for Emerald it was the apartment she’d rented just a few blocks down from K-COLT’s studios.

Celestia took this information down, along with various other details like gender, names of parents, ages, and so on. Soon, both girls had two identical class schedules in their hands, along with locker assignments and pin codes for lunch.

“Was there anything else you needed?” Celestia asked, once all of this was complete.

Twilight nodded again. “We’re looking for a crown, it’s made of gold with a big star in the middle, like on my skirt.”

“Yes, that’s our crown for the Fall Formal Princess election this year,” Celestia explained. “I've had Vice Principal Luna put it somewhere for safekeeping.”

Emerald paused. “Uh… princess election? You can vote for royalty here?”

Celestia chuckled. “Not exactly. Here at Canterlot High, the students select one of their peers to represent them. She receives her crown at the Fall Formal.” She looked between the two girls. “Were either of you interested in running for Princess of the Fall Formal this year?”

“Can anyone run?” Twilight asked.

Celestia nodded. “You just need to let the head of the Fall Formal planning committee know you'd like to be on the ballot. Was there anything else?”

“Nope! That was it!” Twilight said, smiling. “Thank you so much for your help!”

“It’s my pleasure,” Celestia said, smiling too. She walked them both to her door. “If you do need anything else, my door is always open.” Once they were outside, she closed the door again.

“Sparks, why didn't ya just tell her the crown was yours and ask for it back?” Emerald asked, as she and Twilight headed for their first class.

Twilight shrugged, “Oh, I was going to, but imagine if one of _them_ showed up in Equestria saying they came from a place filled with tall, fleshy, two-legged creatures with _these_?” She wiggled her fingers. “We'd think they were crazy!”

“Everypony but Lyra,” Emerald said, shaking her head. “She’d flip if she saw this place.”

“She definitely would,” Twilight agreed. “Looks like if I want my crown back, I'll have to become Princess of the Canterlot High Fall Formal. So that's what I'm gonna do!” She beamed.

“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?” asked Emerald, raising her eyebrow.

“I have no idea!” Twilight answered, her smile still intact.

As they reached the classroom door, Emerald sighed. “Not exactly how I planned to spend today, but if it helps us blend in…”

Twilight nodded. “We can’t let any of the locals know we aren’t one of them. Who knows how they’d react if they knew we were ponies?”

Emerald gulped. “Good point… let’s get this over with.” Looking a little nervous, she pulled open the door and stepped inside.

* * *

The morning zipped by as Twilight and Emerald got used to attending a human school. Being new, their teachers exempted them from any homework that was assigned before their arrival, but made it clear they were expected to catch up quickly. Twilight was thrilled at the prospect of doing homework in a new place, Emerald less so.

The hardest part was quickly learning fine motor skills. Twilight at least had some familiarity with bipedal bodies, as once she’d accidentally cast a spell that turned her into a dragon, and got stuck in that form for a few weeks until Rarity managed to cast the counter-spell on her. During passing periods, she quickly tutored Emerald in the basics of holding and writing with a pencil, and soon both of them had managed to write at least in print, as unicorn foals did when first learning levitation.

Around noon, the bell rang for them to go to lunch in the cafeteria. That was a wide open room with dozens and dozens of long rectangular tables, with 8 chairs at each one. There were plenty of windows to let in the sun, and a row of double doors that led out onto a patio.

Along one wall was a buffet-like area, where various older women (especially one with green skin that very strongly resembled Granny Smith) placed dishes of food onto metal trays. That day’s entrée was spaghetti with tomato sauce, served with garlic breadsticks, carrots, a small Italian salad, and a cup of strawberries and blueberries with milk to drink.

Emerald and Twilight quickly grabbed their meals and carried their trays, searching for a place to sit. It seemed like most of the students gathered with others that shared their interests, so there were separate tables for the athletes, the fashionistas, the dramas, the eco-kids, the techies, and the rockers.

One of the tables that didn’t have a specific group sitting at it was one in the far corner, next to one of the windows. Seated there was Gemini, and a purple-skinned [girl](https://i.imgur.com/IuBKYt8.png) with magenta eyes and black hair with purple streaks. She wore a grey t-shirt with a blue ripped vest on top, a purple plaid skirt with a black belt, and black boots.

Emerald saw them, and blinked. “Hey, isn’t that Raven?”

“Maybe,” Twilight commented. “Or at least the local version of her, which means the grey girl she’s sitting with is this world’s version of Orion.”

“But Orion’s not female,” Emerald said, puzzled. “Unless…” She shook her head. “Nah, let’s wait and see if she tells us.” She began to walk toward that table, smiling. “Hey there! Room for two more?”

“Ah, Emerald! Twilight!” Gem beamed. “Please, sit down! Raven, these are the girls I was telling you about, Twilight Sparkle and Emerald Wave.”

“Good to meetcha,” said Raven, shaking both their hands as they sat down. “Name’s Raven Sable. Gem says you’re new, huh?” She had a strong Manehattan accent, it seemed.

Twilight nodded. “We sure are! Are you new too?”

Raven shook her head. “Nah, I’ve been here for a while. First day?”

Emerald nodded. “Yeah, why?”

Raven leaned in to whisper. “‘Cause it looks like ol’ Sunset Shimmer hasn’t found ya yet. Consider yourselves lucky, usually she zeroes in on the new kids and welcomes them by scaring the hell out of ‘em.”

Emerald looked surprised. “She does, huh? Who is Sunset Shimmer, anyway? No one’s really told us.”

“She’s…” Gem paused. “Well… she’s the unofficial queen bee of the school, you see.”

“Queen bitch, more like,” said Raven at once. “The Sisters might make the rules, but Shimmer’s the one who’s really in charge, if you catch my drift.”

Gem nodded. “She’s won the Fall Formal Princess crown before, and she’ll win it this year too. No one ever dares to challenge her.”

“Until now,” Twilight announced. “Because I've decided to run for Princess of the Fall Formal!”

Raven spat out her milk. “Daaaaaaaaayum! It takes real guts to muscle in on Shimmer’s territory like that. I like you, Sparkle, you got spunk.” She grinned. “I mean, you’re completely insane, but hey.”

“I am? Why’s that?” Twilight asked.

“Sunset has a tendency to ruin the reputations of anyone who tries to cross her path,” Gem explained. “Last year, Coco Pommel tried to run for Princess of the Spring Fling, so Sunset had those two minions of hers make a really insulting video about her. Sunset won in a landslide, and Coco was so upset she transferred to Crystal Prep just to get away from Sunset.”

Raven nodded. “It’s gonna take a lot of work to get everyone to vote for you, Shimmer’s had this school divided and conquered ever since she showed up. But if you’re really serious about meeting her…” she pointed across the room at a girl with light grayish yellow skin, bright two-toned blue hair, and purple sunglasses. “Vinyl Scratch is who you want to talk to. She’s head of the planning committee.”

Emerald’s jaw dropped. “No way… I used to know her!”

“Oh?” Gem echoed, intrigued. “Is she a friend?”

“Yeah,” Emerald said, shrugging. “Where does the committee meet?”

“Big gym, where they have PE,” Raven said. “Best time to find her is after school lets out.”

Twilight nodded. “After school. Got it!” She smiled. “Thanks for your assistance, girls. We really appreciate it.”

Gem smiled back, and gently held Twilight’s and Emerald’s hands for a few moments. “You’re very welcome, Twilight. I can’t quite say what it is about you, but I think making you Fall Formal Princess could be the beginning of some much needed changes around here.”

Raven chuckled. “One thing at a time, Gem. One thing at a time.”

* * *

Once school let out that afternoon, Twilight and Emerald headed for the [gymnasium](http://bit.ly/3cjly4V) Raven had mentioned to find Vinyl directing about a dozen or so volunteers to assist in blowing up balloons and hanging streamers, among other things.

Twilight approached. “Um, excuse me, Ms. Scratch?”

Vinyl turned around, looking surprised even behind her sunglasses. “Hey, hey, Ms. Scratch is my mom. Who are you two?”

Twilight smiled. “I’m Twilight, and this is Emerald. I’m running for Fall Formal Princess against Sunset Shimmer.”

No sooner had the words left her lips did a ringing silence fall on the gym. Vinyl lowered her sunglasses in a gesture Emerald found very familiar, and said in a low voice: “You’re kidding, right?”

Emerald shook her head. “Nope, she means it. We know, we know, Sunset Shimmer’s really awful and stuff.”

“Awful isn’t even the half of it,” Vinyl continued. “But if you’re willing to take the risk, then… okay.” She held out a clipboard. “Dance is next week. If you think you can get the whole school to vote for you _without_ Shimmer beating you into last month, you must’ve got guts of steel or something.”

Twilight signed her name, and as she did so, Sunset herself strode into the room. She now wore a faux-leather jacket with a purple shirt, orange skirt, and black boots decorated with purple flames. “SCRATCH!” she roared. “This looks terrible! This is _my_ coronation, there should be more streamers near the stage and fewer balloons!”

“Last I checked, you aren’t the head of the planning committee, Shimmer,” Vinyl shot back. “Besides which, this isn’t exactly going to be _your_ coronation this time around.”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Obviously it's gonna be _my_ coronation. I'm running unopposed.”

“Not anymore!” said Twilight, crossing her arms. “Hello, Sunset. I’m running too.”

Sunset snarled. “Oh _are_ you,” she said, venom dripping from her words. “Come with me, _Princess_. You and I need to have a talk.” With that, she grabbed Twilight by the neck of her shirt, pulling her out of the gym and into a dimly lit hallway nearby.

* * *

“Can't believe I didn't recognize you in class,” Sunset said, pacing around Twilight in a circle. “Shoulda known Princess Celestia would send her prized pupil here after my crown.”

“It's _my_ crown!” Twilight shot back, crossing her arms again.

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Whatever. This is just a minor setback for me. You don't know the first thing about this place, and _I_ already rule it. You wanna be a princess here? Please. You don't know the first thing about fitting in.”

“If that's so, why do you even need my crown?” Twilight asked. “You went to an awful lot of trouble to switch it with the one that belongs here.”

Sunset chuckled darkly. “I needed it for an experiment. Pop quiz: what happens when you bring an Element of Harmony into an alternate world?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “I’ve never seen it happen before, but if you use it here, you could cause utter chaos and destruction!”

Sunset shrugged. “As if I care what happens to this pathetic little backwater. These humans are so weak, it was foal’s play bending them to my will.” She smirked. “And to think _you're_ supposed to be Princess Celestia's star student. Then again, what were the chances she'd find somepony as bright as _me_ to take under her wing after _I_ decided to leave Equestria? Bit embarrassing that you were the best she could do.” She walked away, but let off one last parting shot: “Drop out now, and maybe I won’t ruin your life while you’re here.”

Twilight balled her fists. “I’m not dropping out, Sunset Shimmer, and you can’t make me!”

Sunset laughed deviously, and Twilight felt herself shiver. “I certainly can, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, departing at last. “Just you wait.”

* * *

“So, what did Sunset say after she dragged you out into the hall?” Emerald asked. She and Twilight were walking to the school’s library, which was still open so students could get in some extra help with their homework if they needed it.

“Threatened me, taunted me, and so on,” Twilight answered. “I will give her one thing, though: if we’re really going to fit in here, we’ll need to do some research! This place has a school. I have to believe it's got a library!”

They went inside, and found an enormous circular [room](http://bit.ly/2PCarum) not unlike the library in Ponyville, only much larger. There were tables for students to sit at and work or read, a large skylight high above them, about six computers grouped together at a circular table, and of course two whole levels of bookshelves, with two staircases connecting each level.

“Oh Celestia…” Twilight whispered. “This is the most amazing place I’ve ever been… there’s bound to be all kinds of information in here!”

“Good thing we can actually _read_ the books here,” Emerald commented. “Should we get to work?”

Twilight nodded. “Let’s!”

And with that, the two quickly began to explore the library, carrying piles of books over to one of the reading tables. This was harder than it looked, since neither of them had magic to carry the books, so the piles they made were so tall, they could hardly carry them. At one point, Twilight tried using one of the computers, but she couldn’t figure out how to use the keys when they were so much smaller than her fists. When they tried to use the copier, the light it made was so bright that Twilight jumped back in shock, letting out a startled whinny before she could stop herself. Through it all, Sunset’s minions snuck around taking pictures with their phones.

Finally, they gathered up all the books they needed and got to reading, which took quite a while. Hours passed, with the library getting increasingly quiet as students left for the night. The skylight steadily began to darken with the approach of night, and as it did, a voice on the intercom announced: “The library will be closing in five minutes.”

Twilight sat up, as if struck by lightning. “Oh no! I hadn't even thought about where we're gonna sleep tonight!”

“Sleep?” asked a familiar posh voice. “Don’t you both have homes to go to?” Gem had entered the library with Raven, and was looking a little confused at Twilight’s statement.

Twilight blinked. “Uh… yeah! Uh, we haven’t really unpacked yet, so we were thinking of maybe sleeping here? I’m sure there’s a part of this room no one uses.”

“Yes, but the night janitors will certainly find you, in any case,” Gem said. “Besides, it’s the weekend, and two days is a very long time to be cooped up in an empty school. Why don’t you come home with me tonight, Twilight? Raven and I already had a sleepover planned, adding two more won’t be a problem.”

Twilight smiled. “I think we’d like that, Gemini. Thank you.”

The four of them exited the library, heading toward the school’s front doors. As they went outside and passed the portal back to Equestria, Emerald crossed her fingers, hoping they would be back home sooner rather than later.


	2. The Adventure of the Stolen Crown: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twilight, Emerald, and their human friends Gemini, Raven, and Vinyl Scratch work quickly to try and stop Sunset Shimmer from using Twilight's crown, but Sunset has a few tricks up her sleeve.

In another world, in another Canterlot, two humans and two ponies who simply looked like humans walked from Canterlot High School and through the darkening streets of the city toward the suburban areas. The night sky was clear, allowing Twilight and Emerald a view of alien stars.

“It really is very nice of you to take us in like this, Gem,” Twilight said to the grey girl walking next to her.

Gem smiled. “I’d do anything to help a friend, Twilight. I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but I’m already beginning to see the two of you as friends.” She led them across a few more blocks, and soon they’d arrived at a house that looked very familiar to Emerald: a two-story Victorian home with a sizable front porch. Perched on either side of the front door were two gargoyles.

Emerald gaped. “No. Way,” she said, before she could stop herself.

“Oh, I know!” Gem giggled as she unlocked the door. “This used to be my family’s summer house, but when I moved here they gave it to me to stay in instead, my parents are back in Trottingham, you see.”

Gem stepped inside and flicked on the lights, revealing a hallway with four doorways on two walls: on the right side was the door to the sitting room, and next to it, her study. On the left side of the hallway was the door to the kitchen and a door to the library, and directly in front was a staircase leading to all the bedrooms.

Gem led them into the sitting room, which looked sleek and modern in contrast to the house’s exterior. There was a white carpet, pale blue walls, some tasteful paintings by Van Gogh, a flatscreen TV resting above an electric fireplace, and an assortment of chairs and couches.

“Do make yourselves comfortable!” said Gem, smiling happily. “I’ll go and get drinks for everyone!” She left, and Raven briefly excused herself to use the restroom, leaving Twilight and Emerald alone.

“Sparks,” Emerald whispered, “If we’re gonna get help from these humans, we’re gonna need to tell them the truth.”

“But Emerald, this is a really delicate situation!” Twilight replied. “What if when they find out how different we really are, they decide not to help us after all?”

Emerald smiled and kissed Twilight deeply. It was a bit messier than usual since she was unused to kissing with human lips instead of a pony muzzle, but it got the point across. “Trust me, they’ll help us. But only if we’re honest with them about who we are and why we’re here.” She took Twilight’s hand in hers. “Do you believe me?”

Twilight nodded. “Always, Emmy.” She smiled. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Sparks,” said Emerald, just as Raven and Gem returned.

Gem was holding a tray of tea cups with an assortment of cookies for them to enjoy, and she smiled as she placed the tray down on the coffee table. “I should’ve known the two of you were dating, you look at each other in just the same way that Raven and I do!”

Emerald smiled. “Yeah, we are. Sparks and me have been dating for close to a year, ever since I moved to… the town where she’s from.”

“Oh? And where’s that?” Gem asked curiously. “I thought I detected a Canterlot accent in your voice, Twilight.”

Twilight blushed as she took a tea cup and added milk, “Well… it’s kind of a long story. Emerald and I… we’re not like you.”

Raven blinked. “Huh?”

“What my marefriend means to say is,” Emerald said, “We’re ponies.”

Raven had been sipping her own tea as Emerald spoke, and at her last two words, she performed an excellent spit-take. “What?! I don’t… but how?! You look human!”

Twilight shook her head. “While I’m sure that if you x-rayed us both, you’d think we’re just like you, the truth is that we really are another species. The statue on the front lawn of the school conceals a portal to the world where Emerald and I come from… and it’s Sunset Shimmer’s home too.”

“Okay, that _does_ make sense,” Raven said, thinking it over. “No one really knows where she came from, she just showed up one day and started walking around like she owned the place. Now you’re saying she’s secretly an alien horse from another dimension?”

“How very _Star Trot_ ,” Gem observed, sipping her tea. “Please, continue. May I ask why you’re here?”

“Back home, Twilight is a princess,” Emerald explained. “And that witch Shimmer stole her crown for some reason, and we have to get it back.”

Twilight nodded. “My crown is a powerful magical artifact called an Element of Harmony. Sunset took it from me yesterday evening, and so we came through to this world to get it.”

“So that’s why you want to run for Princess of the Fall Formal!” said Raven, snapping her fingers. “That’s the only way you can get your crown back!”

Twilight nodded. “Exactly. The portal closes at midnight on the night of the Formal, so we don’t have a lot of time. If we fail to get the crown and return to Equestria, our home, we’ll be stuck here in this world for the next thirty moons.”

Gem blinked. “Thirty moons? How long is that?”

Twilight shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure if it has an equivalent in your calendar, but at a rough estimate, around two and a half years. Equestria may not survive without my Element, so it is imperative that the crown is returned to me.”

Gem nodded again, and smiled warmly. “We’ll do all we can to help, Princess Twilight. You have my word.”

“And her word is good, too,” Raven added. “I’ve never met a girl as selfless as her.”

“Do you have experience in political campaigns?” Twilight asked.

“As it turns out, yes!” Gem replied. “My father served as mayor of Trottingham for several terms, so I think some of what I saw on the campaign trail there will be applicable to this situation. And since we both know how much of a wretched bully Sunset Shimmer is, I have no doubt she’ll try to attack you.” At Twilight’s stricken expression, she quickly added: “But enough about that, the dance isn’t for another week! We have plenty of time to get to know each other!”

“I’ll say we do,” said Raven. “Ain’t every day you wind up makin’ first contact with an alien species, even if they do look just like us.”

“Good point,” Gem agreed, stroking her girlfriend’s hand. “What do you look like in your natural forms, girls?”

“I’m glad you asked!” said Twilight, taking a photograph from her backpack. It was one Rarity had taken shortly after her ascension, showing both mares relaxing in the main reading room of the library. Twilight had one wing draped around Emerald’s withers, and both mares sat with their legs folded beneath them.

“Oh my goodness, you two look adorable!” Gem gushed. “Raven, look!”

“Adorable is right,” Raven commented. “Very different from our horses and ponies. They don’t talk, their snouts are larger, and I’m pretty sure they can’t do magic.”

“Really?!” Twilight leaned forward, and if she still had her tail, Emerald knew it’d be swishing rapidly. “I mean, I learned a lot about humans at the library today, but I never knew your equines weren’t sapient! I thought perhaps, since ponies and humans look relatively similar to each other, your ponies would too!”

Raven shook her head. “I’m not sure why we look alike, but I’m pretty sure magic hasn’t got anything to do with it.”

“Unless it does!” Twilight exclaimed. “Perhaps your world’s proximity to ours influenced your evolutionary patterns! It would definitely explain why humans and ponies share similar skin and coat colors, or why our manes look the same.”

“Or why there’s apparently human versions of ponies we know back home,” added Emerald. “Like Vinyl and you two.”

“What’s pony Vinyl like?” Raven asked. “Is she a DJ?”

Emerald nodded, “DJ and radio host. I used to work for her in Canterlot, that is, my Canterlot, before I met Twilight. When I moved to Ponyville, your pony selves took me in for a bit. That’s why I was so surprised to see your house, Gem. I didn’t think there was a duplicate here!”

“I see!” Gem smiled. “I can only imagine what my pony counterpart is like. I hope she’s as friendly as I am.”

Emerald nodded vigorously, “Absolutely, only…” She paused. “He’s a stallion, and his name’s Orion.”

“Oh.” Gem looked slightly put out. “You know, that’s almost too bad… I was hoping he’d be like me…”

Twilight tilted her head. “Like you?”

“Trans,” Gem explained. “That means I was assigned male at birth, but I’m transitioning to female.”

“Oh!” Emerald smiled in recognition. “We have that in Equestria! I’m in the same boat that you are!”

“Really?” Gem looked amazed. “I’d never have guessed, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Emerald shook her head. “The potions I took were very thorough, I guess it carried over across the portal as well.”

“The portal’s magic really is quite fascinating,” Twilight said. “Maybe when this is all over, I can have the portal brought back to the library so I can study it in further detail!”

Emerald giggles. “That’s my Sparks, always and forever the world’s biggest magic nerd.” She gave the purple girl a nuzzle on the cheek, and Twilight nickered in response.

“So if there’s one of everyone where you come from,” said Raven, “Wonder if that means your counterparts are around here somewhere.”

Twilight shrugged. “That’s a good question. I honestly expected counterparts of my friends back home to be here too, but so far I haven’t seen them. I don’t suppose you know anyone named Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy?”

Gem shook her head. “I can’t say I do. If they are here, it’s possible they go to other schools.”

“Maybe,” Emerald said, thinking. “Anyway…” She yawned. “I didn’t realize how late it’d gotten… should we go to bed?”

Gem nodded, picking up the now-empty tray. “It does seem like a good time for it, I think. Take whichever room you like, ladies! Tomorrow, I’ll make us breakfast and we can explore Canterlot a bit! How does that sound?”

Twilight beamed. “That sounds amazing! How about it, Emmy?”

Emerald grinned. “I’m definitely game. G’night you two, and thanks again.”

“You’re welcome!” Gem chirped, waving as the two transformed ponies went upstairs to claim one of the guest rooms.

* * *

Emerald smiled as she pulled on the pajamas Gem had lent her, they were navy blue with white polka dots on them. “So, our first day on an alien world, as a different species… I’d say it went pretty well, given everything.”

Twilight nodded, wiggling her fingers. “Getting used to these has been hard, and I definitely miss my magic, but I think we can both survive for a week. Anything longer though…”

Emerald nodded. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” She climbed into bed and wrapped her arms around Twilight, kissing her on the nose. “Wanna know something?”

“What’s that?” Twilight asked.

Emerald smiled. “You’re cute as a pony _and_ as a human.”

Twilight blushed. “So are you. See you in the morning, Emmy.”

“G’night, Sparks,” Emerald replied, flicking off the lights.

* * *

The next two days were quite relaxing for the quartet. Saturday was warm and sunny, so they spent the day taking Twilight and Emerald out on a guided tour of Canterlot, exploring art galleries, history museums, libraries, restaurants, the mall, and even catching a movie. They also stopped by an electronics store to pick up cheap cell phones for Twilight and Emerald, partly so they had a way to keep in touch with one another, and partly to help improve their manual dexterity. On Sunday it rained, so they stayed inside, did homework, and then watched more movies in Gem’s basement home theater.

Unfortunately, Monday was much less fun. Almost as soon as Twilight entered the school, she was met with the sounds of snickering from most of the student body. She looked around, her expression confused and worried. “I don’t understand… why are they all laughing at me?”

Gem had gone very pale, her grey complexion now bone white. “I think I might have some idea,” she said, stepping into an empty classroom and pulling out her phone. She tapped the screen once, and a video began to play, showing a black and white montage of Twilight making a fool of herself at the library with threatening music in the background.

Accompanying the distressing visuals was an ominous narration from Sunset herself: _“Twilight Sparkle wants to be_ ** _your_** _Fall Formal Princess. But what does it say about_ ** _our_** _school if we give someone like_ ** _this_** _... such an important honor? She’s only a newcomer, what does she know about Canterlot Wondercolts?_ ” Then the image changed to footage of Sunset Shimmer cheering on the school sports teams, helping out students, and other positive images. _“That’s why you should vote for me, Sunset Shimmer. I pledge to keep the Fall Formal Crown in true Wondercolt hooves, where it belongs.”_

Emerald and Raven clenched their fists and snarled, speaking at exactly the same time: “THAT BITCH!”

“Language!” replied Gem and Twilight immediately afterwards.

Twilight then put her face in her hands, sniffling. “But this all happened Friday! At the library! Has everyone in the school seen this? Is that why they were all looking at me that way?!”

“It seems that way,” said Gem, putting a consoling hand on Twilight’s shoulder.

“What am I gonna do?” Twilight asked. “No one is gonna vote for me after seeing _this_!”

“Which is why we should counter it with something of our own,” said Gem, already beginning to pace back and forth. “But not with an attack ad! That would sink us down to Sunset’s level, and we need to prove to everyone that you are truly better than her! What we need is to make a statement! Sunset is obviously playing to the students’ collective sense of school spirit, but such gestures aren’t just limited to her!” She pointed at Raven. “Raven! What are the six principles of harmony?”

“Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Friendship,” Raven replied at once.

Gem nodded approvingly. “Exactly! And Emerald, you know her best! How does Twilight exemplify those qualities?”

Emerald counted off on her fingers. “She’ll always tell you what she thinks if there’s a problem to solve, she’s quick to lend a hoof… I mean, hand, to anyone who needs it, she always makes me laugh at her jokes, her generosity was shown by letting me stay with her when I was new to Ponyville, she’s loyal to everyone she meets, and it’s easy for her to make friends!”

Gem nodded some more. “I think she could be the girl to unite the school and break Sunset’s hold on everyone. But what’s the best way to do that?”

“Well…” Twilight blushed. “Ponies love singing, so maybe we could sing a song?”

Raven raised an eyebrow. “Sing a song? Really?”

Twilight nodded. “Studies by many thaumaturgists have shown that the performance of spontaneous musical numbers triggers a rush of endorphins to the parts of the pony brain that govern emotions and magical energy. I have no idea what it might do to humans, but maybe we’ll find out!”

Gem smiled. “I think that sounds like a perfect idea, Twilight. But a song isn’t enough, we need something more! Any other ideas?”

Raven raised her hand. “I can see if Coco still has that Wondercolt merch she was selling last year. Maybe we can wear those as a sign of unity?”

Gem nodded some more, and tugged on the hem of her sweater. “Make it so, Number One.”

Raven rolled her eyes, smiling. “Whatever you say, Captain Earl Grey.”

* * *

Over the next day or two, the four friends were able to procure the props they would need: blue headbands with yellow pony ears on them, blue and yellow tails made of synthetic fur, and blue sweatshirts with the Canterlot High logo on them. They also worked out a time to perform their song: lunchtime, since they knew it would be the only time when most of the school would be gathered in one place.

At Emerald’s request, Vinyl recorded an instrumental backing track for them all to sing along to, and two days before the formal, they put their plan into action. After tapping out a beat on a lunch tray and some random dishes and cutlery to signal Vinyl to get the backing track playing, Gem, Raven, Emerald, and Vinyl dashed around the cafeteria, improvising the lyrics of their [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrItr8A9q_A):

> _Hey, hey, everybody_
> 
> _We've got something to say_
> 
> _We may seem as different_
> 
> _As the night is from day_
> 
> _But you look a little deeper_
> 
> _And you will see_
> 
> _That I'm just like you_
> 
> _And you're just like me._
> 
> _Yeah!_
> 
> _Hey, hey, everybody_
> 
> _We're here to shout_
> 
> _That the magic of friendship_
> 
> _Is what it's all about_
> 
> _Yeah,_
> 
> _We thought we were different_
> 
> _As the night is from the day_
> 
> _Until Twilight Sparkle_
> 
> _Helped us see another way_
> 
> _So get up get down_
> 
> _If you're gonna come around_
> 
> _We can work together_
> 
> _Helping Twilight win the crown_
> 
> _So get up get down_
> 
> _'Cause it's gonna make a sound_
> 
> _If we work together_
> 
> _Helping Twilight Sparkle_
> 
> _Win the crown!_

Then, Raven took a solo verse:

> _Hey, hey hands up now,_
> 
> _We're sending a message_
> 
> _To the crowd_
> 
> _Hands wave up_
> 
> _Then come down_
> 
> _We party together_
> 
> _All around_

Before the rest of them joined back in:

> _Generous, honesty,_
> 
> _Laughter, kindness, loyalty_
> 
> _Twilight helped us each to see_
> 
> _All that we can be!_
> 
> _So get up get down_
> 
> _If you're gonna come around_
> 
> _We can work together_
> 
> _Helping Twilight win the crown_
> 
> _So get up get down_
> 
> _'Cause it's gonna make a sound_
> 
> _If we work together_
> 
> _Helping Twilight Sparkle_
> 
> _Win the crown!_

For the pièce de résistance however, Gem and Raven threw open the cafeteria doors in time to let Twilight take a verse of her own:

> _I'm gonna be myself_
> 
> _No matter what I do_
> 
> _And if we're different yeah_
> 
> _I want you to be true to you_
> 
> _If you follow me_
> 
> _We'll put our differences aside_
> 
> _We'll stick together and_
> 
> _Start working on that school pride!_

That seemed to do the trick. The next thing they knew, the rest of the cafeteria was singing in unison:

> _Jump up make a sound (Hey!)_
> 
> _Stomp your hooves turn around_
> 
> _Start now, make a change,_
> 
> _Gonna come around_
> 
> _Jump up make a sound (Hey!)_
> 
> _Stomp your hooves turn around_
> 
> _Canterlot Wondercolts_
> 
> _Help her win the crown!_

It was as the song came to an end that something surprising happened to Twilight, Emerald, Vinyl, Gem, and Raven. The five of them began to glow with a magical light, and they began to transform! Pony ears that matched their respective skin tones sprouted on the tops of their heads, followed shortly by tails in the same colors as their hair. Raven got wings, while Emerald, Vinyl, and Gem got horns. (Only Twilight got both.) Lastly came the fur, hooves, and muzzles. The changes were so swift that it was all over before the five of them could miss a beat, and their clothes changed as well, to better fit an equine body.

The cafeteria went very quiet as the students and faculty took in the sudden transformation. For a few moments, no one dared to even speak or breathe.

Then, Emerald broke the silence: “Well, buck.”

* * *

A few minutes later, the five of them galloped off into a nearby bathroom to check over their changed bodies. They were definitely Equestrian ponies now, save for the fact that they stood on two legs rather than four. Emerald and Twilight were happy to be their true selves again, but the three humans were less than thrilled.

“I just don’t understand it!” Twilight exclaimed, peering at her reflection. “I’ve never seen magic work like this before, it’s completely unheard of!”

“What, you’re some kinda magic genius where you come from?” Vinyl asked, staring incomprehensibly at her sunglasses, which still fit despite the changes.

Twilight nodded. “Actually, back home I’m one of the most powerful unicorns born in the last thousand years or so. But I’ve never seen cross-species transformations of this type before! It’s fascinating, and terrifying in equal measure!”

“Why terrifying?” asked Gem, swishing her new tail in an agitated way.

“Well, this world isn’t supposed to have any magic in it,” Twilight explained. “But when Sunset Shimmer brought my crown here, she brought magic here too!”

Raven blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“The guy who designed the portal put some safeguards on it,” Emerald said. “One of those was to block magic from any living creature who passed through by changing them into a non-magical species, like humans.”

“But because that safeguard didn’t take magical _objects_ into account, my Element of Harmony is still very powerful,” Twilight finished. “Emerald, do you remember what Luna said before we came here?”

“I think so,” Emerald replied, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “If we used magic, those affected might develop pony characteristics.”

“This isn’t permanent, is it?” Vinyl asked.

Twilight shook her head. “No. The changes should reverse themselves soon enough, but the fact that they happened at all means it’s imperative we get my crown back. If we fail, the delicate balance between our worlds could fall apart altogether!”

Gem smiled wryly. “Well, I can be certain of one thing. We put on an unforgettable performance!” Then she felt a tingling sensation, and the changes reversed themselves as quickly as they had originally happened. Soon, they were all entirely human again. “Thank goodness… do you think that will be the last time we’ll transform, Twilight?”

Twilight shrugged. “I’m honestly not sure, Gemini. There’s no precedent for anything like this, it could very well be that our presence here, combined with that of my Element, has already changed your world forever. All we can do is wait and see.”

Raven nodded. “ We won’t have long to wait. The ballots for the formal are due at the end of the day tomorrow, but we won’t find out the winner until the night of the dance itself.”

“I hope everypony makes the right decision,” Gem said with a sigh. “I shudder to think what might happen if Sunset wins.”

Emerald blinked. “Uh, Gem? Can you say that again?”

Gem looked puzzled. “I hope everypony makes the right decision?”

Emerald nodded. “You just said everypony. And you’re human. Right?”

Gem glanced in the mirror, suddenly unsure about something deep within herself. “Of course I am… at least I _think_ so…” But before the others could comment, the bell rang, and they rushed off to class.

* * *

At the end of the day, Gem was walking down the hall toward her locker when she passed by Sunset Shimmer. Sunset was smirking, and her hands were on her hips. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t one of Sparkle’s monkey servants,” she said. “If you can still call yourself that after I saw what happened at lunch.”

Gem glared at her. “I am not a monkey, I’m a human! And I’m not Twilight’s servant, I’m her friend!”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. She’s just using you to get what she wants! She might be playing the whole nice princess role now, but trust me, if she wins the princess election, you’re gonna see what she’s _really_ like. That transformation you went through was just the start of it.”

Gem scoffed. “As if I am going to believe a single word that comes out of _your_ mouth, Sunset Shimmer.”

“You should,” said Sunset, starting to walk in a circle around Gem like a jungle cat sizing up her prey. “I’ll grant her this much: Twilight Sparkle is even more powerful than I was before I got here. But she’s also a scientist, and this world of yours? It’s just _begging_ to be experimented on. If she gets the crown back, she’s going to turn this place into her personal laboratory, with you and all your friends as her guinea pigs.”

Gem narrowed her eyes. “Prove it.”

“With pleasure!” Sunset took out her phone and opened what looked like the stock voice recording app. “I overheard her making plans in the library today during study hall. Listen!”

Sunset hit play, and Twilight’s voice issued from the tiny phone speakers: _“That transformation is just what we needed, Emmy! As soon as I get my crown back, this world will be mine to take over! These humans will have no way of defending themselves against my magic! Soon, they will bow before me!”_

Gem’s jaw dropped. “Impossible…”

“You’re already starting to come around though, I can tell.” Sunset chuckled. “I’ll send you the file so you can share it with the others.” She tapped her screen a few more times, and the file was sent over the school’s intranet. “See ya ‘round, Shadow.” And with that, she left, leaving a shaken Gem behind.

* * *

A short time later, Gem stormed through the front doors of her home, looking angry and hurt. Raven, who’d been sitting on the couch, looked up. “Uh, Gem? Are you okay?”

“No, I am not,” Gem answered, quickly telling Raven what Sunset had told her, and playing the offending audio clip.

Raven frowned deeply, her brow furrowing. “Okay, I’ll admit: this sounds like a pretty serious betrayal of our trust. But before you go rushing off, let’s think about this.”

“Raven, what’s there to think about?” Gem asked. “This is awful! All this time, Twilight has been stringing us along pretending to be our friend, just so she can hurt us later! I bet she even knew we would change, and manipulated the situation to ensure we did!”

“But this is _Sunset Shimmer_ who told you this!” Raven exclaimed. “You know, the mare who’s been bullying both of us since we got here?” She put her hands on her hips. “Let’s ask Twilight about it before we do anything else, and find out who’s right. I trust her a lot more than I do Sunset.”

Gem sighed, her anger cooling. “Oh, very well, Raven… but she’s on thin ice.”

Just then, the front door opened again and Twilight came in with Emerald, holding a device that looked a bit like a digital recorder. “Hey girls, I’m back! What’s… going… on…” Her face fell as she saw Gem’s expression. “Gem? Are you okay?”

Gem shook her head. “Twilight, I need you to tell me if you remember saying this, or something similar, during study hall today.” She pressed play on the clip again.

Twilight looked utterly horrified, “Gem, I swear to you I never said anything of the kind! I spent all of study hall trying to figure out why your speech patterns have changed!”

“But that’s your voice on the recording!” Gem shot back. “You must have said it!”

“Gem, I was right next to Twilight all that time,” Emerald interrupted. “And let me tell ya, she was quiet as can be. I don’t know what human technology is capable of, but even though it sounds like Twilight, there’s no possible way it was _really_ her.”

“How?” Raven asked.

Emerald shrugged. “It’s just this feeling. The voice is right, but the intonation and inflection was off. Pony magic can do a lot of things, but it can’t manufacture things ponies never said out of whole cloth.”

Twilight nodded. “I would never _ever_ take over your world, Gemini. Until a week ago, I was just an ordinary unicorn, I haven’t had time to get used to being a princess of Equestria, never mind an alternate dimension.” She pulled Gem into a hug, and nuzzled her cheek. “Your friendship is far too important to me to risk it over something like this. Do you believe me?”

Gem was quiet for a long moment. Then, very slowly, she returned Twilight’s hug.

* * *

With the disagreement cleared up, the four friends sat in Gem’s living room, relaxing once more. Raven peered curiously at the device Twilight had placed on the coffee table. “Okay, so now that we have that squared away, what’s with the doohickey?” She asked, gesturing to it.

Twilight smiled. “This was something I had Vinyl Scratch help with making, it’s a type of analyzer. Back home, it’s mainly used to measure the magical spectrum, but if I have it programmed right, it should be able to tell us if you really are still human.” She pressed a button and had Gem hold the device for several seconds.

Then on the device’s LCD screen came the results: _DNA Scan Result: 93% Human._

Raven’s jaw dropped. “What the _buck_. You sure that’s working right?”

Twilight nodded. “Positive. The results Emerald and I were just like that. Remember, as far as this world is concerned, we’re humans too.”

Raven nodded. “I got that part. I just don’t understand why we’re changing at all.”

“It’s because of how Equestrian magic works,” Twilight said. “Only ponies can wield it. Back home, this was never a problem, but being in an alien environment has forced it to adapt somewhat. You’re changing because the magic inside of you is requiring you to.”

“Can anything be done about it?” Gem asked. “Can it be stopped or reversed?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight replied. “If the mirror we used to get here was in my library, I’d rush home to my lab and get all my magical analysis tools. But Ponyville is miles and miles away from the Crystal Empire, and with the formal so close, we just don’t have time. All I can say is to keep magical exposure to a minimum, at least until Emerald and I return to Equestria. Once we do, the magic should go with us, and what changes you’ve seen so far will dissipate.”

“I can only hope you’re right, Twilight,” said Gem, heaving a sigh.

* * *

At long last, the night they all had been waiting for had arrived. At Canterlot High, fancy cars pulled up to the front entrance and students wearing their finest outfits (or as fine as they could afford) entered the school for a night of dancing, fun, and general merriment. Gem looked positively resplendent in a blue dress that sparkled like sapphires. Raven’s outfit looked like a Victorian ball gown crossed with punk rock aesthetics rendered in purple and black, Twilight’s [dress](http://bit.ly/38tXWrf) was a paler blue and speckled with stars and moons, while Emerald’s was as green as her name, with jewels to match.

Inside the gym, the party was in full swing. Most of the floor was filled with students dancing, but a few clusters of people had gathered by the refreshment table and were talking, shouting to be heard over the pulsing beat of Vinyl Scratch’s music. Twilight, Emerald, Gem, and Raven danced and partied, allowing themselves a few hours of fun before the reveal of the election winner.

Finally, at 11:00, the party began to wind down. Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna came out from backstage, and Vinyl brought the current track to a close, and clicked on the spotlights as the two administrators stepped up to the microphone.

“First off, I wanna say how wonderful everything looks tonight,” Principal Celestia began. “I hope you’ve all enjoyed yourselves this evening, but before we let you go home, I'd like to announce the winner of this year's Fall Formal crown. The Princess of this year's Fall Formal is…”

There was a pause as everyone leaned forward.

“Twilight Sparkle!” announced Celestia, as Luna opened the box containing the crown. Wild applause met the announcement as Twilight, blushing brightly, stepped on stage to receive her crown.

But while everyone was distracted, Snips and Snails (both of whom were in normal clothes aside from the top hats and, in Snips’ case, a t-shirt with the front of a tuxedo printed on it) snuck inside and grabbed Emerald from behind. Snails, being the tallest, covered her mouth with his hand, while Snips held on to her arms.

Emerald struggled, and as they reached the gym doors, managed to break free of Snips’ hand long enough to call out, “TWILIGHT! HELP ME!”

“EMERALD!” Twilight screamed, running offstage and through the crowd toward doors at a breakneck pace. Gem, Raven, and Vinyl were not far behind, but Snips and Snails had the advantage. They zipped through the halls, darting through a side entrance that led to the athletic fields. They turned left and ran for the Wondercolt statue, where Sunset was waiting. Twilight and her friends reached the statue a few seconds later.

Twilight glared at Sunset, her hands on her hips. “Let her go, Sunset Shimmer! She’s done nothing to you! If you hurt her…”

Sunset chuckled mirthlessly. “Oh, I wouldn't dream of it. I'm not a monster, Twilight. Even I know better than to get between a princess and her consort.” She snapped her fingers, and Snips and Snails let Emerald go.

With Emerald safe, Sunset turned back to Twilight. “All right, Sparkle, enough games. Give me the crown, and you can go back to Equestria tonight. Or keep it and _never_ go home.” She brought out a sledgehammer and made as though she were about to send it into the side of the plinth where the portal was.

“No way,” said Raven, watching this. “Wouldn’t that sledgehammer just sail through the portal thing and hit somepony on the other side?”

Twilight opened her mouth to answer, but Sunset beat her to it, albeit with a raised eyebrow at the equine pronoun. “Only a _living_ creature can step through this portal, bird brain. A non-magical object like this sledgehammer would affect the statue like there was never a portal there to begin with.” She looked back at Twilight. “Tick-tock, Twilight. We haven't got all night. The portal will be closing on its own in less than an hour. So, what's your answer?”

There was a pause. Then, Twilight spoke, and there was a huge note of finality in her voice: “ _No._ ”

Sunset’s jaw dropped, she hadn’t been expecting that. “What!? Equestria! Your friends! Lost to you forever! Don't you see what I'm about to do to the portal?!”

Twilight nodded. "Yes, but I've also seen what you've been able to do here _without_ magic. Equestria will find a way to survive without my Element of Harmony. This place might not, if I allow it to fall into _your_ hands. So go ahead. Destroy the portal. You are _not_ getting this crown!”

“Fine,” said Sunset, dropping the sledgehammer. “You win.”

“I can't believe you were gonna do that for us!” Vinyl exclaimed, smiling at Twilight.

Gem smiled too. “It's no wonder you're a real live princess!”

That made Sunset’s rage boil over. “Oh, yes, she's so _very_ special!” she snarled, diving for the crown. Thus began a high-stakes game of keep-away as Twilight and the others all tried to keep the crown out of Sunset’s hands.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work. After a brief scuffle, Sunset snatched up the crown, simply saying: “At last! More power than I could ever imagine!” Then, she jammed it on to her head.

The effect was immediate. Cyan light mixed with black began to pour from the star in the middle of the crown. Sunset, realizing something was horribly wrong, tried to take the crown off but it stayed stuck to her as if it had been glued on. She let loose a bloodcurdling scream as a magical pillar obscured her from view.

When the light show faded, Sunset had transformed into an eight foot tall [demon](http://bit.ly/330gq1r) with dark red skin, blue-green eyes with black sclera, tattered red wings, and a red and yellow dress that matched the streaks in her hair. Her hands were more like claws now, and her ears were long and pointed. As she looked herself over, she laughed evilly, clearly pleased with the results. With a burst of magic, her two goons were changed into demons too, though smaller.

“I've had to jump through so many hoops tonight just to get my hands on this crown, and it really should have been mine all along!” Sunset said, turning in mid-air to face the crowd of high school students hiding behind the front doors, all of whom had come to see what all the fuss was about. “But let's let bygones be bygones. _I_ am your princess now, and you will be loyal... to _me_!”

Sunset brought her claw into a fist and pulled, and the entire front entrance crumbled and was tossed away to one side. The students screamed and tried to flee in terror, but Sunset used her magic to brainwash them, causing them to groan like zombies as their eyes glowed blue-green.

“Round them up and bring them to the portal,” Sunset ordered, pointing Snips and Snails toward the army of brainwashed humans. They saluted and went to work, herding the teenagers in front of the plinth.

Sunset grinned evilly as she turned back to face Twilight and her friends. “Spoiler alert: I was bluffing when I said I was going to destroy the portal. I don't want to rule this pathetic little high school; I want Equestria! And with my own little teenage army behind me, I’m going to get it!”

“No! You’re not!” Twilight shouted, defiant to the last.

Sunset scoffed. “Oh, please! What exactly do you think you're going to do to stop me? I have magic, and you have _nothing_!”

“She has _us!_ ” said Raven, as Gem, Emerald, and Vinyl all nodded in agreement.

“Step aside, weaklings!” Sunset thundered, her expression murderous. “Twilight has tried to interfere with my plans one too many times already! She needs to be dealt with!” She formed a fireball and threw it at the five girls below, all of whom hugged one another as they waited for a fiery death.

But nothing like that happened. Instead, a magenta glow surrounded the five of them, the color of Twilight’s magic aura. Twilight opened her eyes, saw the shield, and grinned. “The magic contained in my Element was able to unite with those it decided could best wield the others!” she said, as she and the other four rose into the air and began to transform into ponies once again. “Honesty! Kindness! Laughter! Generosity! Loyalty! Magic!”

“Together with a crown, they create a power beyond anything you could imagine, but it is a power you don't have the ability to control!” Twilight’s eyes were glowing white, sheand the others were now fully shifted. “The crown may be upon your head, Sunset Shimmer, but you cannot wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all: the magic of friendship! Here _and_ in Equestria, it is the only magic that can truly unite us all!”

A brilliant rainbow formed and arced toward Sunset, ensnaring her in a tornado of light as it purified her of corrupted magic. Snips, Snails, and the other students were purified as well, and when it was all over, all that was left was a huge crater, with Sunset at the very bottom, restored to her human form.

Twilight’s hooves crunched as she walked slowly toward the crater’s edge, flanked by Emerald, Gem, Raven, and Vinyl.

“You will _never_ rule in Equestria,” Twilight said to Sunset, her voice cold. “Any power you may have had in this world is gone. Tonight, you've shown everyone who you really are. You've shown them what is in your heart.”

Sniffling and sobbing met her ears as Sunset looked up, tears streaming down her face. “I-I'm sorry…. I'm so sorry. I didn't know there was another way…”

“The magic of friendship doesn't just exist in Equestria,” Twilight continued, in a softer voice. “It's everywhere.” She looked toward her friends. “You can seek it out, or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours.”

“But all I've ever done since being here is drive everyone apart,” Sunset protested. “I don't know the first thing about friendship!” By now she’d managed to climb up to the crater’s lip.

Twilight took Sunset’s hand in hers and smiled, helping her to stand. Gesturing to Gem, Raven, and Vinyl, she said, “I bet _they_ can teach you.”

Then there came the sound of footsteps as Principal Celestia approached, holding the fallen crown in her hands. “I believe this belongs to you,” she said warmly, a smile on her face. As Twilight kneeled, she placed the crown on the alicorn’s head. “A true princess in any world leads not by forcing others to bow before her, but by inspiring others to stand with her. We have all seen that you are capable of just that.” She gave Twilight a hug. “I hope you see it too, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight nodded, smiling. “I do. Thank you.”

Everyone applauded, and the students all began to head back toward their homes, with six exceptions: Sunset Shimmer, who was made to help repair the damage done to the front entrance the next morning, and Twilight and her friends.

Raven checked her phone. “Uh-oh, it’s already a quarter to twelve… you’ll have to get going, Twilight.”

Twilight nodded, looking to the distant form of Sunset trudging back to the school. “You'll look out for her, won't you?”

“Of course we will,” Vinyl reassured her, smiling. “Though I hope she’ll be apologizing for all the disasters she caused. Like last semester, when she stole my car and crashed it into a ditch.”

Twilight chuckled. “I have a feeling she'll be handing out a _lot_ of apologies.” Then, with a wistful sigh, she glanced up toward the moon. “I know we've only been friends for a short time, but I'm gonna miss all of you so much!”

“We’ll miss you, _Princess_ Twilight,” said Gem, hugging Twilight tight. “Do come back and visit, won’t you?”

“I’m sure I can think of some way to circumvent the 30-moon limitation,” Twilight replied, returning the hug.

As the clock hit 11:50, Emerald cleared her throat. “Uh, Sparks? It’s go time.”

Twilight sighed and hugged her human friends one last time. “Thank you all so much, for everything… it’s been so great meeting you!”

“And an honor and a privilege for all of us,” said Gem, smiling. “Goodbye, Twilight. And good luck.”

Twilight waved, then took Emerald’s hand as they stepped through the portal and back into their own world.

* * *

As soon as the last of Twilight’s tail hairs passed out of sight, the three remaining friends were changed back into humans, the magic gone from them as suddenly as it had appeared. (As far as they knew, at least.)

“Do you think we’ll ever see them again?” Raven asked, beginning the walk to the student parking lot.

Gem shrugged. “I honestly cannot imagine… but I do hope so.” Halfway to Raven’s car, she stopped dead in the street and ran back to the entrance. “Sunset Shimmer? Hello?”

“Over here, Gemini,” Sunset said, her voice hoarse. “What do you want? Here to gloat?”

“Hardly,” Gem answered. “I believe being hit in the face with a magic rainbow is punishment enough. No, I only came to ask if you’d like to sleep over at my house tonight… everyone needs a place to sleep, even repentant bullies.”

Sunset thought about it for a long moment… but eventually, she shook her head. “I’ve got a place… but… uh, thanks. I guess.”

Gem smiled. “You’re welcome, Sunset. And goodnight to you.” Then she left, quickly rejoining Raven and Vinyl.

* * *

“Twilight! You’re back!” Princess Cadance cried, throwing her front legs around her sister-in-law and nuzzling her. “You've got your crown!”

Twilight nodded, smiling as she settled herself down onto all four hooves, glad to be back in her own body once again. “It took a lot of work, but Emerald and I were able to get it back just in time! Sorry we were gone so long.”

“Sunset Shimmer, is she alright?” Celestia asked, looking very worried.

Twilight nodded. “I think she's gonna be fine. I left her in good _hands_.” Then she began to trot back down the hall toward her room, unable to stop herself from yawning. “I wanna tell you all everything, I do, but I'm just so exhausted from all the dancing!”

“Dancing?!” asked the other three princesses in unison.

Emerald smirked, and gave the three royals a big wink as she stepped into the room behind Twilight. “We’ll explain… later,” she said.

Then, closing the door with her tail, the alicorn princess and her unicorn consort climbed into bed.

* * *

As Emerald wrapped her front legs protectively around Twilight’s barrel, she said, “So… how ya feeling about the whole princess thing, Sparks?”

Twilight chuckled as she floated the crown onto her nightstand. “Honestly? I think I’m okay with it.”

Emerald smiled and kissed Twilight’s cheek, then yawned. “Good to hear… g’night, Sparks.”

“Goodnight, Emmy,” whispered Twilight. She turned out the light with her magic, and the two ponies soon fell asleep.


	3. The Fourth Princess: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their adventure at Canterlot High, Twilight is busy preparing for that year's Summer Sun Celebration when tragedy strikes: Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have gone missing, and the Everfree forest is invading Ponyville.

The time between the coronation, the princess summit, and the Summer Sun Celebration zipped by in a blur, as though Rainbow Dash had been put in charge of time passing. Two days before the Celebration, Twilight, the Bearers, Spike, and Emerald were all in Canterlot, since Twilight would have royal duties to perform as part of Canterlot’s celebration. Currently, the group was lounging around in the Palace District, watching Rainbow give Twilight a flying lesson.

“You’ve gotta really flap ‘em hard!” Dash was saying.

“I thought I was!” said Twilight, frowning slightly.

“Try again!” Dash replied, and Twilight flapped her wings as hard as she could, sending her spiraling toward a tree. She crashed into a branch, disturbing the bird who’d built its nest there.

“Maybe not _quite_ that hard,” said Dash, flying down to check on her.

Twilight took off from the branch, only to fall on her face again, hitting the ground with a loud thump.

“Looking good up there, Princess Twilight,” said Applejack, smirking slightly. She helped Twilight get to her hooves, dusting her off a bit.

“Applejack, you know you don’t have to call me that,” said Twilight, launching into the first phase of the conversation she and Emerald had rehearsed several times before this.

“Darling, why do you protest so?” asked Rarity. “You’ve already given up wearing your crown all the time, the least you can do is embrace your new title!”

“If other ponies want to address me that way, I suppose it’s fine,” Twilight replied. “But not my friends! It just doesn’t feel right!”

“But Twilight, you are a princess now!” Rarity protested. “You deserve to be treated with the respect that befits your new station!”

“And I’m not saying that I don’t,” Twilight insisted. “I’m just not comfortable being thought of as automatically better than everypony else, just because I have wings and a horn.”

Rarity nodded and gave her friend a hug. “I can relate to that feeling, at least,” she said. “Having ponies judge you for _what_ you are instead of _who_ you are is far from an enjoyable experience… if not for Sapphire Shores, my boutique would not be half as successful as it is today.”

“Exactly!” Twilight nodded. “If only flying was easy as getting you to see where I’m coming from…” She sighed heavily. “The Summer Sun Celebration is only two days away, and I’m never going to be ready to perform my part!”

“Not if you spend all your time down here, you won’t!” said Dash, tactful as ever. “Now get up there and show everypony the big finish!”

Twilight flapped her wings again and took off, flying high into the sky. For a few minutes she managed to fly just like a natural-born pegasus, and this made her whoop with glee when she realized it. However, her happiness was short-lived. As soon as her brain caught up with the rest of her, her wings locked up and she went tumbling head over hooves, just like a comic strip beagle being shot down by a red baron.

With a loud wumph and a small tremor, Twilight slid into the ground, creating a small ditch. There was a pause as everypony gathered at the edge, peering down.

“Twilight?” asked Spike.

“Wow!” Pinkie exclaimed. “That _was_ a big finish!”

Twilight groaned.

* * *

All too soon, they all returned to the train station. Emerald and the Bearers would be returning to Ponyville, while Spike and Twilight would be staying behind so Twilight could complete her royal duties.

“We’re going to write you and give you so many details it’ll be like you’re in Ponyville with us!” Pinkie exclaimed, to the unanimous agreement of the others.

“And you _will_ be with us right after the celebration,” Rarity added. “We already have an appointment on the books to discuss the royal upgrades to your loft decor!”

“All aboard for Ponyville!” shouted the conductor, and the six departing mares each hugged the purple princess, Emerald sneaking in a kiss on the cheek, before clambering aboard the train, waving goodbye as it pulled away.

“I can’t help it, Spike,” Twilight admitted, frowning as the train disappeared from sight. “They’ve only been gone a minute and I already feel like I’m missing something.”

At that exact moment, a mail pony flew over with a letter for Twilight. Spike opened it, and read “Dear Twilight, you aren’t missing anything! Your friend, Pinkie Pie. P.S.: Emerald says, “It’s Pinkie, Sparks. Don’t ask how she knew that.”

“How did she…” Twilight began, before re-reading Emerald’s comment. She chuckled, and began the long walk back to the castle.

* * *

On the train, Emerald settled into a seat beside Rarity, heaving a sigh. “I’ll just come out and say it: I miss her already, girls.”

“We do too, darling,” Rarity said, nodding in agreement. “It just doesn’t feel the same without her here.”

“Do you think she’ll move back to Canterlot for good someday?” asked Fluttershy.

Rarity shrugged. “I doubt it, so long as Celestia and Luna remain on the throne, but should they ever decide to abdicate, I think it would be a certainty. Ponyville simply doesn’t have the required infrastructure to serve as the new capital.”

“We have that castle in the Everfree forest though!” Rainbow added. “She could live there, couldn’t she?”

“She could, if’n it wasn’t in the _Everfree Forest_ ,” Applejack pointed out. “Sides, ain’t like we’ll have to worry about Twilight moving out anytime soon. I reckon she’s got plenty o’ years left in Ponyville.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie cheered. “No going away parties yet, that’s for sure!”

And, cheered up, the six friends moved the discussion toward the coming Celebration as the train sped home.

* * *

Emerald sighed as she unlocked the door to the library and lit the candles with her magic. Closing the door with her tail, she stood alone in the library’s main room, hearing utter, perfect silence for the first time ever.

It was never this quiet in the library. In the daytime there was the hustle and bustle of patrons coming and going, in the morning and evening there were sounds from the kitchenette as Spike made dinner for the three of them, or the ever-present sound of Twilight’s horn and the flipping of pages as she read a book, and the scratching of her quill on parchment as she took notes.

These were the sounds of home, and they were sounds Emerald missed very much. To keep herself from going insane, she put on one of the library’s[ jazz records](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu30e4OrRAk), so she could have something to keep her mind occupied.

“Alright, Em, what have we got for dinner…” Emerald said to herself, trotting to the kitchenette to explore her options. She really wanted something roasted, or perhaps barbecued, but with Spike gone, there wasn’t much she could do with that. (She lived in a tree. Putting an oven in a tree is a recipe for disaster.)

What she eventually decided on was a simple meal: a sunflower and daffodil salad with extra croutons, and some Filly Guide cookies for dessert. Also on the table was one of Spike’s rubber ducks, so she could have _someone_ to talk to.

As she ate, she began to talk to the rubber duck about Twilight’s ascension, and what it might mean for them. “I mean, it’s not like anything is different _right now_ … she’s still the same old Twilight I fell for at the wedding reception. She just has wings now. You know?”

The duck said nothing, but it did stare at her, unblinking, for several seconds.

Emerald sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I know… Rarity is probably right. In a few years, Twilight will probably replace Celestia and Luna and become the monarch of all Equestria. She’ll go away to Canterlot, and… well, I don’t know. I hope we can stay together, I can’t really imagine myself dating anypony else, but then again, it’s not like Celestia and Luna ever publicly dated anypony. Sure, Cadance dated her brother, but she was already an alicorn by then! What if the burden of being a princess becomes too much for her, and she decides to break it off with me?”

 _“What would you do then?”_ the duck would’ve said, if it could speak.

“Well, if she _did_ break up with me… I’d probably just move back to St. Luna,” Emerald admitted. “And probably remain a single mare for the rest of my life, because having the actual bucking princess of Equestria break up with you kind of torpedoes your chances on the dating scene.”

_“Will you let her break up with you?”_

“Let her? Excuse me? What the Tartarus kind of a pony do you think I am, ducky?” Emerald said. “Sparks is a grown mare, she can make her own decisions!”

 _“So are you_ ,” the duck would’ve pointed out. _“What do you want out of this relationship?”_

Emerald silently chewed on a lettuce leaf before answering. “I love Twilight. I love her more than anypony in Equestria. You’re a duck-shaped piece of rubber, you’ve never felt this sort of connection that happens when you first lay eyes on some mare, and you know in your heart that she’s your soulmate. I don’t know how that whole thing works, but I do know that the moment I met that ridiculous purple book dork, I fell in love. You know, like that song!”

And with a quick swish of magic, the record changed to a cheerful acoustic pop [_number_](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8LbJfC0SYM) she especially liked:

> _I've just seen a face_
> 
> _I can't forget the time or place_
> 
> _Where we just met_
> 
> _She's just the mare for me_
> 
> _And I want all the world to see_
> 
> _We've met_
> 
> _Had it been another day_
> 
> _I might have looked the other way_
> 
> _And I'd have never been aware_
> 
> _But as it is I'll dream of her_
> 
> _Tonight_
> 
> _Falling, yes I am falling_
> 
> _And she keeps calling_
> 
> _Me back again_
> 
> _I have never known_
> 
> _The like of this, I've been alone_
> 
> _And I have missed things_
> 
> _And kept out of sight_
> 
> _But other mares were never quite_
> 
> _Like this_
> 
> _Falling, yes I am falling_
> 
> _And she keeps calling_
> 
> _Me back again_
> 
> _Falling, yes I am falling_
> 
> _And she keeps calling_
> 
> _Me back again_
> 
> _I've just seen a face_
> 
> _I can't forget the time or place_
> 
> _Where we just met_
> 
> _She's just the mare for me_
> 
> _And I want all the world to see_
> 
> _We've met_
> 
> _Falling, yes I am falling_
> 
> _And she keeps calling_
> 
> _Me back again_
> 
> _Falling, yes I am falling_
> 
> _And she keeps calling_
> 
> _Me back again_
> 
> _Oh, falling, yes I am falling_
> 
> _And she keeps calling_
> 
> _Me back again_

_“Good song, but you never actually answered the question,”_ the duck would’ve continued.

“I was getting to it! Keep your feathers on!” Emerald said in an annoyed tone, switching the records back. (Many years of working for Vinyl had taught her how to change records without even looking.) “What I want… well, for starters, it would break my heart if Twilight moved back to Canterlot to do princess things and left me here alone. I mean, she’s only going to be gone for about two days and I’m sitting here talking to a plastic duck of all things.”

She threw up her forehooves. “I miss her, okay? I _hate_ being apart from her. At least the last few times it’s happened, Spike is usually still here so I can talk to him, but right now? I don’t even have him! Just me and you.”

Emerald sighed again, ignoring the duck’s silent glare. “I don’t want to be alone anymore, ducky. Whenever I left the K-COLT building, I used to go home to an empty apartment, and all I had to talk to were my _Star Trot_ posters. To be honest, I really wasn’t that much better at this whole friendship thing than Twilight was, even before I left St. Luna. I had acquaintances, and ponies I saw at school, but we never hung out outside of class.”

She paused to finish the last of her croutons, then got up and went to grab a milk jug and a glass from the icebox so she could dip her cookies into the milk. “Twilight was the first real friend I ever had… maybe that’s part of why I fell for her so hard, she reminds me so much of myself.” She dipped a cookie into the milk and took a bite. “I don’t want to be without her… and there’s only one way to be sure that happens.”

A pause, and then: “I want to marry Twilight Sparkle.”


	4. The Fourth Princess: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twilight, her friends, and Emerald work quickly to uncover the secret of the vines and rescue the princesses, but Twilight's friends make a shocking decision.

As nice as the duck’s quasi-companionship had been, Emerald couldn’t exactly snuggle with a duck that was about the size of her hoof. Instead, she wound up going to bed in the loft with a foreleg wrapped around a pillow. It was soft and fluffy being made of pegasus down, but not exactly the same as feeling real pegasus wings wrapped around one’s body.

She woke up early the next morning to open up the library for the day, quickly hopping out of bed to brew a cup of coffee for herself. As she sipped, she took a glance outside the nearest window (the library had a lot of them) and gaped.

One side of the sky, the part the library was in, was still shrouded in darkness, and the moon was high in the sky like it was midnight, even though her clock said it was 7:30. But as she looked out through a window that faced the direction of Town Hall, (which marked the halfway point of Ponyville) she could see that the part of town where Rarity’s boutique stood was brightly lit, as if it were noon.

But that wasn’t the only strange thing she could see. Also in the sky were black clouds with spikes coming out of them, and weird spiky black vines had sprouted overnight, taking over the entire town in just a few short hours.

“What. The. Buck.” Emerald stated, rubbing her eyes with a hoof. “This is a dream, right? Maybe if I…” She bonked her head with another hoof, winced, and shook her head. “Okay, definitely real. Weird clouds, big vine thingies, screwed up sky… ugh, where’s Sparks when you need her?”

Before she could do anything else, there came several hurried knocks on the door. Not trusting her magic with all those weird vine things around, Emerald put down her cup and opened the door manually, looking outside. [On the porch](http://bit.ly/2PgzN0L) was a tan earth pony with a spiky brown mane and tail wearing a colorful scarf, and a gray pegasus with a blonde mane and tail.

Emerald smiled. “Hey Doc, hey Derpster. What can I do ya for?”

“Great whickering stallions Miss Wave, have you not glimpsed the current state of the firmament?!” said Doc, gesturing to the sky. “To say nothing of the botanical calamity infesting the entire village?!”

“Those mean old vines make it really hard for me to fly,” said Derpy, trying to keep her gaze fixed on Emerald but not entirely succeeding. “Harder than usual, I mean.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen the sky,” said Emerald shortly. “If you’re asking me if I know what caused it, I can’t help you.”

“But perhaps your books can!” Doc replied, undeterred. “Give me all your books on magic!”

Emerald blinked at him. “Uh, Doc? I live with the mare who is, without a doubt, the most powerful magic user in five hundred years, even _before_ she sprouted wings. Our magic section is bucking _huge_. You’re gonna have to be a little more specific.”

“Perhaps you have any books on chaos magic?” Doc asked.

Emerald thought this over and opened the door all the way. “Come on in, you can help me look.”

“Where is Twilight, Emerald?” Derpy asked, as she and Doc trotted inside. “I thought she’d be investigating this!”

“Canterlot, doing princess stuff!” Emerald answered, already heading for the room where the magic books were kept. She scanned the shelves, humming thoughtfully. “Let’s see… she has this section organized according to discipline, so chaos magic would be under C…” She went to the first aisle, which held books from A-D, and looked.

“Okay, there’s one…” She took out a book. “ _Understanding Chaos Magic_ by Qui Quae Quod.” She flipped it open and skimmed a few pages. “Oh.”

“Oh?” asked Doc, peering over her shoulder.

“No spell diagrams,” said Emerald. “It’s just theory.” She checked the index for sky, clouds, and vines, and came up short. Annoyed, she snorted and put the book back. “Great. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, Doc.”

“It’s quite alright, Miss Wave,” Doc said, offering her a jelly filly from a paper bag, which she took. “I’ll just have to return to my lab and see if I can’t investigate this phenomenon myself! I have no shortage of potential specimens! Come along, Hooves!” He cantered away, Derpy following along in his wake.

* * *

No sooner had the sound of Doc’s hooves faded away did Twilight’s friends arrive, panting with the effort of trying to get across an increasingly vine-filled town. They clambered into the library’s front room, looking like they had just run a marathon.

“Emerald!” said Rarity, when she got her breath back. “Something very strange is going on, and I for one would appreciate an explanation!”

“What, because I live in a library with out resident princess of books?” Emerald snarked. “I don’t know anything more about this than you do, Rarity! Doc was just here looking for books on chaos magic, and I didn’t have anything for him either!”

“I can tell ya one or two things, Emerald,” said Applejack, adjusting her stetson. “Them vines are comin' from the Everfree Forest! And try as we might, us Earth ponies can't do anythin' to get rid of ‘em, just like the pegasi can’t wrangle the clouds! Don't suppose you know any magic that might stop 'em from spreadin’?”

Emerald shook her head again. “We have exactly one book on chaos magic, and it’s just a theory book without any spell diagrams. I looked up what we were seeing in the index, but there was nothing there.” She sighed. “But if you girls want to take a look, help yourselves. I’m not gonna stop you.”

And at this, the Bearers spread out and began to scan the shelves, looking for anything that might be useful. They weren’t looking for very long however, when Twilight crashed into the main room, teleporting herself inside and landing in a pile of books. Poor Spike slammed into a window behind Fluttershy, making her jump and whinny in surprise.

After a few seconds, Spike came in through the front door, kissing the floor several times. “Sweet, sweet, _wonderful_ ground!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Okay, I get it! I need to work on my flying!” She got to her hooves with Emerald’s assistance, looking around. “What are you all doing here?”

“Oh, I hope you know we wouldn't normally go through your books without permission,” Fluttershy began.

“But I dunno if you've noticed, but the Everfree Forest is just a teeny-tiny bit out of control!” interrupted Pinkie. Then her tail twitched, and a huge vine slammed through the window, draping itself all the way across the room.

“But perhaps you already know what's causing all of this calamity?” Rarity said in a hopeful voice. “Has Princess Celestia sent you to dispel it posthaste?”

“Not exactly,” Twilight began, adjusting her crown. “Not exactly. You see, Princess Celestia is, well... she and Princess Luna are both…”

“THEY’RE MISSING!” Spike yelled, and everypony gasped in horror at his words.

“I don't know who has taken them, but I've got a hunch we're going to need the Elements of Harmony to get them back,” Twilight continued, handing each of her friends their respective necklace.

Applejack smiled as she put hers on. “I told ya we'd always be connected by the Elements! Now we just gotta figure out who to aim these bad boys at so we can get Celestia and Luna back and keep the rest of Equestria from becoming plant food! Any ideas?”

Twilight began to pace in a circle, as she always did when she was thinking extremely hard about something. “Half day, half night... strange weather patterns... out of control plants. I think I'm starting to get a pretty good idea of who we're up against. Are you girls pondering what I’m pondering?”

“I think so, Twilight,” said Pinkie, “but where are we going to find a duck and a hose at this hour?”

Twilight blinked. “That wasn’t it. I’m talking about Discord!” She opened the front door and marched outside, and the six of them formed up in a circle. Channeling magic through her horn, Twilight’s element started to glow, followed quick succession by Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Loyalty, and Laughter. A rainbow formed and in a flash of light, Discord was there, as well as a bathtub.

When he saw where he was, Discord looked around in surprise and then said, “Now, Twilight, you _know_ Princess Celestia said that you were to give me a heads up before you summon me with that little spell she gave you. In case you haven't noticed, I was in the middle of a _particularly_ invigorating shower!”

“Enough!” said Twilight loudly, stomping her hoof. “Release Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and stop the Everfree Forest from invading!”

Discord chuckled. “Why, whatever are you talking about?” he asked, batting his eyelashes innocently.

“Don't you play dumb with us, Discord!” Applejack said, frowning. “We know you're the one behind all of this!”

“Ladies, ladies, I'm innocent!” Discord insisted. “Don't get me wrong. I absolutely _love_ what you've done with the place, but I couldn't _possibly_ take responsibility. Would I lie to you?”  
  
“YES!” said everypony, with the exception of Fluttershy. Rainbow, AJ, and Rarity moved to turn him back into stone, but Fluttershy flew in front of Discord in an attempt to forestall them.

“Hey! We can't do that!” Fluttershy said. “What if he really is telling the truth?”

“Well, _finally_!” said Discord. “Somepony willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. The rest of you could learn a lot about friendship from my dear friend Shutterfly here.”

“If you're not the one responsible, then help us figure out who is!” Twilight said loudly.

Discord shrugged. “I suppose I could, but after all the hoof pointing and besmirching of my good name, I just don't know if I'm up to it.” From behind them came the sound of Zecora trotting into town, hitched to a couple of very heavy looking carts. Discord pointed to her and added, “Why don't you ask your zebra friend if she knows anything?”

“Zecora!” Twilight gasped, running over to help her. “What are you doing here?!”

“From my home, I have had to flee! The forest has grown too wild, even for me!” Zecora replied.

“Any idea why all this is happenin’?” Applejack asked.

“I'm afraid it is a mystery to me as well,” Zecora admitted, “but I may have something that, if combined with a spell…” She dug through her cart and produced a vial containing a purple liquid. “I do not dare to use it myself, the results would be tragic. It only responds to Alicorn magic.”

“How wonderfully convenient,” Emerald muttered dryly. Nopony laughed.

Zecora pushed the vial toward Twilight. “Princess Twilight, you can turn the potion from purple to white. After a sip, you may see why the sky is day and night.”

Twilight pointed her horn at the potion and the same purple and green dark magic she’d used during the Crystal Empire escapade covered her horn, hitting the potion dead on. It changed colors to white, like freshly poured cow’s milk.

Twilight took it and drank it down, paused, then said “Nothing seems to be-” Then her eyes went white, and she stopped cold.

The gathered ponies, dragon, zebra, and draconequus watched as Twilight mumbled indistinguishably, cried at something, then went back to mumbling. Then she opened her eyes again and looked around, as if surprised to find herself standing in Ponyville again.

“What’d you find out?” Spike asked.

“I still don't know what's happened to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, but I think I know why the Everfree Forest is acting this way,” Twilight began. “Something's happened to the Tree of Harmony!”

Rainbow blinked. “The tree of what now?”

Twilight sighed. “Why am I the only pony in Equestria who knows practically everything there is to know about Starswirl The Bearded?!” Taking a breath to calm herself, she continued. “Thousands of moons ago, Starswirl and the other Pillars of Old Equestria planted the tree as one of their last acts before vanquishing the Pony of Shadows. The tree created the Elements of Harmony, and protected Equestria ever since, until now.”

“Sounds like this tree is in danger, right?” Emerald asked.

Twilight nodded. “Exactly! Somehow, the tree’s protective magic has been drained, and we have to go in and resuscitate it before the vines take over Equestria!”

“Where is it?” Applejack asked.

Twilight pointed a hoof toward the entrance of the Everfree forest. “I think it’s in… there!”

Everypony gulped.

* * *

“So let me see if I’ve got this right,” said Emerald, as she, Twilight, and their friends all approached the entrance to the forest, “We have to go in there. into the dark and creepy homicidal forest of doom and certain death, to save a freaking tree.”

Twilight nodded, and placed a hoof on her marefriend’s shoulder. “You don’t have to go with us, Emmy,” she said gently. “You don’t even have an Element to use in case of an emergency.”

Emerald shrugged her off. “Yeah, and? Just because I don’t have some fancy jewelry doesn’t mean I can’t lend a hoof in a tight spot. Besides, I don’t see you telling Spike not to come.”

“Yeah!” Spike added. “Besides, we’re the ones who saved the Crystal Empire, remember? We can totally handle this!”

Twilight sighed, and nodded. “Well, alright. But stay close, you don’t want to get lost.”

Emerald looked into the gaping maw of botanical doom ahead of her, and shivered. “Trust me, Sparks, I won’t be going anywhere without you.”

So saying, they began the trek into the forest. As they went inside, Rarity commented, “Seems like only yesterday we were heading into these woods to _find_ the Elements of Harmony!”

“Seems like only yesterday I was foolish enough to think I should go after them on my own,” Twilight added, remembering the night she first came to Ponyville. “I don't know what we're going to face in there. But whatever it is, I know we need to face it together!” Everypony made noises of agreement, and the venture continued.

After a while, (telling time was difficult given the sky) they came to what seemed like a lake, filled with a green ooze that bubbled and popped. “That sure doesn’t look good,” said Rainbow, hovering over them all. “That isn’t water, is it?”

“I don’t think so,” said Twilight. “Let’s check to make sure.” She found the carcass of a recently killed bird lying on the ground, and, flinching, tossed it into the lake.

With a splash, the bird fell in. Then only bones came back up.

Rarity looked appalled. “What… what in Equestria did that lake _do_?!”

“Seems like it stripped the feathers, skin, and other bodily tissue right off the carcass,” Twilight observed, looking disgusted herself. “Thank goodness it was already dead…” She pointed to what looked like a loose path of rocks. “We can use those to cross, but be _extremely_ careful! One false move, and…”

Without needing to say anything more, she took a step onto the first rock, and then another until all of her was on the path… which suddenly began to move! Twilight screamed as a huge rock-like tail lifted her into the air threw her back down again toward the deadly lake, but Emerald and Rarity grabbed her in their respective magical auras (dark green and light blue) and pulled her to safety.

“A cragadile! Run for your lives!” Rarity yelled, and everypony did just that, just as the cragadile climbed out of the ooze and stalked toward them. Emerald, Spike, and Twilight wound up caught in a dead end, and the cragadile advanced, preparing to open its mouth wide and swallow them whole.

But before it could, its jaws snapped shut, and Twilight found the other five had managed to use some vines to tie the creature up, concluding with Applejack lassoing its muzzle shut and Twilight wrapping another vine around the trunk of a nearby tree, using a complicated-looking knot to hold the vine in place.

“ _That_ was close,” said Twilight, her eyes wide.

“A little too close, if you ask me,” said Applejack. “You sure you're all right?”

Twilight nodded. “I'm fine. I just can't seem to get these new wings to do what I want them to do when I want them to do it.”

“You _have_ been having an awful lot of trouble with those things,” agreed Applejack. “And, well, who knows what else is gonna to come after us?” She thought of something. “You know, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for Twilight to go back to Ponyville and let us look for the Tree of Harmony without her.”

There was a brief silence as everypony pondered this. Then, Emerald spoke: “AJ, have you lost your apple-bucking _mind_?!”

“I sure haven’t!” AJ shot back. “It’s basic facts, Emerald! Twilight almost got herself killed twice over, first by that lake of… whatever that stuff is, and then by that there cragadilly!”

“And?!” Emerald shouted. “What about the last time you girls were here, huh?! According to what she’s told me, if it wasn’t for Twilight you girls would’ve gotten killed by Nightmare Moon! And now you think you can walk through the forest that’s only gotten creepier since then unscathed, _without_ her help?! What kind of friends are you?!”

“Ones who have held the fate of Equestria in our hooves many times before, Emerald Wave,” Rarity put in, tilting her head up. “Even if we manage to save the Tree of Harmony, it won't necessarily mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will return. Suppose, for a moment, that Twilight _did_ get herself killed. With Princess Cadance ruling over the Crystal Empire, there are no other ponies who could rule in Twilight’s place! At least if she returns to Ponyville, she’ll still be alive in case the Sisters don’t come back!”

“But the Tree of Harmony!” Twilight interrupted. “I'm the only one who has seen it and knows what it looks like!”

Dash shrugged. “Huge tree, cutie marks on the trunk, probably being attacked by something hideously awful? Yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll know it when we see it.”

Twilight looked down at her hooves, then back up at her friends. Her eyes were wet with tears. Just the sight of it made Emerald’s heart shatter. “All of you… _all_ of you feel this way?” she asked, trying very hard not to cry.

“It is probably for the best,” Fluttershy said, and that seemed to seal the deal.

Twilight got shakily to her hooves, her ears down. “Well… good luck…” she eventually managed to say, trotting away from them back in the direction of Ponyville. Spike and Emerald followed her, neither of them saying another word.

* * *

“I just don’t understand it!” Twilight said, looking thoroughly depressed. “How could they think such a thing?!”

“I wish I knew, Sparks,” Emerald said, kicking a rock. “I mean, I can _almost_ see their point, but you know what? Sure seems like to me that once you got wings, everypony but Spike and me here forgot who you were!”

“A princess of Equestria?” Twilight answered morosely.

Emerald shook her head. “Twilight Sparkle, the best friend, and marefriend, anypony alive could want to have.”

“Yeah!” Spike agreed. “If it wasn’t for you, Nightmare Moon would’ve taken over Equestria, and we’d probably be her slaves or something!”

Emerald nodded. “The Elements of Harmony don’t work without Magic to unite them, you’ve told me that a bunch of times,” she said. “Those five won’t be able to fix the Tree without you. Problem is, they’ve been so wrapped up in you being a princess that they forgot what you were to begin with!”

“You’re absolutely right,” Twilight said, perking back up. “Both of you are! I never should have agreed to go back to Ponyville, and now they’re walking into a deathtrap! We have to go after them!” She spun on her hooves and galloped back the way they had come, Spike and Emerald following along in her wake.

Unfortunately, the trip was even harder than it had been before. After what seemed like forever, they stopped to rest. Twilight was looking downtrodden and unhappy again, and she seemed to wilt.

“Are we there yet?” Spike asked.

Twilight shook her head. “I don't know where we are. We're lost,” she said.

“Well, there’s a tree right here,” Spike pointed out, gesturing to it. “Maybe if I get up there, I'll be able to spot ‘em!” He scampered up the tree and stood on a high branch, looking down. There, far below, were Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash.

Spike grinned. “Girls! I can see them!” he called, but then he stopped, and gasped in horror. While he’d been looking away, Venus flytrap-like plants had started attacking Twilight and Emerald, and though they tried to fight back, it was in vain; the plants seemed immune to pony magic, regardless of whether it came from a unicorn or an alicorn.

The plants opened their leaves and sprayed a strange gas at the two mares, knocking them out. Spike ran down to try and fight them off himself, but Emerald shook her head, mouthing two words: “GET. HELP.” Not wasting any time, Spike ran for his life, toward the ravine where he now knew Twilight’s friends were.

A few minutes later, the remaining Bearers climbed up the stairs that led to the Tree of Harmony to find Twilight and Emerald sprawled on the ground, unconscious. The gas plants were still attacking them, but Applejack announced, “Listen here, you rabid rhododendrons! You mess with two of us, you mess with _all_ of us!”

Then a fierce battle began as the Bearers worked to evade the plants and tie them up. The plants tried to attack, but it was no use, they were soon completely out of commission.

“Are they okay?” Fluttershy asked, looking frightened.

Rarity bent down and put her ear to Twilight and Emerald’s chests. “Just out cold, they’re still alive otherwise.”

Spike quickly woke them both up, and when Twilight saw her friends, she smiled. “It’s you!”

Applejack smiled apologetically. “I sure am glad you came looking for us, Twilight.”

“Not as glad as I am that you found us,” Twilight said, helping Emerald up.

Rarity nodded with Applejack’s words. “The truth of it is, Twilight, we're simply lost without you.”

“Yeah,” agreed Rainbow Dash. “Equestria may need its princess…”

“But we need our friend,” Fluttershy finished.

Emerald smiled too. “That’s what I like to hear. Now, don’t you girls have a tree to save?”

Twilight nodded, “We sure do. Come on, everyone!”

Twilight led them all back down into the ravine, and from there into the grove where the Tree was. It was grey and sickly-looking, its trunk and branches were covered in the same spiked vines that were ensnaring Ponyville.

“So, uh, how exactly are we going to do this?” Dash asked.

“It’s like what Princess Celestia said in my vision,” Twilight said. “Even without these elements, the Tree of Harmony will possess a powerful magic. As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here. We have to give it the Elements of Harmony.”

“But then, without the Elements, how are we to reign in Discord, or protect Equestria?” Rarity asked.

Twilight smiled. “We don’t _need_ the Elements, girls. Don’t you see? When Discord tried to take over Equestria and turned you against each other, and we tried to use the Elements even though you were still infected with chaos magic, the Elements didn’t work because as far as they were concerned, we weren’t _friends_ anymore! It took my memory spell for them to be usable again!”

“Wait just a sec,” Rainbow said. “Are you really saying that friendship is magic, Twi? That sounds _super_ corny.”

Twilight chuckled. “Corny, but true. The Elements were just something we could use to channel friendship magic, we’ll be able to defend Equestria without them all the same. My new role in Equestria may mean I have to take on new responsibilities, and our friendships may be tested, but it will never, _ever_ be broken.” She took a deep breath. “There's no time to lose. Everypony ready?”

“Ready,” said the other five Bearers.

Twilight flew into the air, using her magic to harness each of the Elements, which gathered around her as their power charged. Then, even as the vines tried to prevent them from reaching their appointed places, each of the gemstones found their way into the tree: Laughter, Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, and last of all, Magic.

A bright, purifying light shone as the tree was restored to its former glory, and the vines were swept away, vanishing into nothingness. What was more, the vines keeping the Royal Sisters ensnared were themselves destroyed, and the rescued Princesses approached the group, smiling.

“We know how difficult it must have been for you to give up the Elements,” said Celestia, hugging her former student. “It took great courage to relinquish them.”

Before anyone could say anything more, a seed fell from the tree and on to the ground, and a flower sprouted. Twilight tapped the flower, and the petals opened up to reveal a locked crystalline box with six locks.

“Fascinating,” Luna said, raising an eyebrow.

“What's inside it? How am I supposed to open it?” Twilight asked.

“There are six locks, which suggests that the box requires six keys before it can be opened,” Luna answered.

“Then where can we find them?” Twilight wondered.

“I do not know where they are,” Celestia said. “But I do know that it is a mystery you will not be solving alone.”

Twilight smiled at that, and looked to her friends. They, in turn, smiled back.

* * *

The Summer Sun Celebration, it turned out, was a complete success. Twilight and her friends stayed in Canterlot to watch Princess Luna lower the moon, and Princess Celestia raise the sun, topped off with Twilight performing an aerial trick that resulted in a huge pink starburst exploding behind the castle, without a single mistake. All that training had paid off.

As Twilight, Spike, and Emerald returned to Golden Oak Library after the ceremony, Emerald’s eyes fell on the lockbox that now stood where the Elements once had. “Six locks, six keys… I’m almost disappointed that there isn’t a seventh.”

“Oh? How do you mean?” Twilight asked.

Emerald shrugged. “I don’t know, Sparks… it just kind of seems like I don’t belong, you know? I think about Sunset Shimmer, and how she ran to that world when Equestria had nothing left for her. And here… you and the girls get to be heroes, but all I get to do is watch on the sidelines, like Humdrum in the Power Ponies comics.”

Twilight frowned and wrapped her front legs around Emerald in a hug. “Emerald, trust me: _you matter_. You have a place here, even if you may not have an Element. Love, especially romantic love, is its own kind of magic, one that Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow, and Fluttershy can’t give me. Only you can do that.” She kissed her. “Never ever doubt that you have a role to play, because you do. My new role as a princess is going to change a lot, and I’ll need you there to keep me grounded.” She smiled. “Can you do that for me?”

Emerald smiled back. “Yeah, I can do that.”

And, with that, she and Twilight entwined their tails and trotted upstairs to their loft, a bright new future still ahead of them.


	5. Two of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emerald and Twilight confront frustrations with one another as the quest to decipher the lock box threatens to tear them apart.

It had been a busy year for Twilight and the former Element bearers. Since traveling to another dimension and saving the Tree of Harmony from destruction, Twilight had started a friendship journal to allow the six of them to recount any lessons they might have learned, and as it turned out they learned quite a bit! On top of all that, they _also_ had to search for anything that might open the mysterious box with six locks that had been resting in the library for quite some time, and while all five of Twilight’s friends had adventures that might have gotten them closer to opening the box, no keys had been discovered as yet.

The only pony who wasn't rushing to solve a mystery or go on an important quest was Twilight's marefriend, Emerald. She tried not to let it bother her, she really did. But watching Twilight and the bearers gallop off on adventure after adventure without her began to grate. She would’ve liked, for example, to attend a performance of _Hinny on the Hills_ , but somepony had to stay in Ponyville and keep an eye on the library. Spike was only one dragon, and he couldn’t run everything. So, Emerald stayed behind. She tried to act like her feelings weren’t hurt, tried to pretend everything was okay, but it was all a lie.

* * *

It was Emerald’s day off, and usually at times like these, she spent time inside the library with Twilight, reading with her. But with Twilight out of town for one reason or another, she couldn’t do that today. Luckily, the patron load was light today, so Spike said he could take care of things there while she enjoyed her day off.

And so, Emerald headed for the town square, carrying an acoustic guitar on her back as she went along. Finding a bench, she sat down and began strumming the strings with her magic, using her hooves to press down on the strings in particular places on the fretboard, so she could play chords, and she began to [sing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH6i9JAdJrQ) softly to herself:

> _I'm looking through you, where did you go?_   
>  _I thought I knew you, what did I know?_   
>  _You don't look different, but you have changed_   
>  _I'm looking through you, you're not the same_   
>    
>  _Your lips are moving, I cannot hear_   
>  _Your voice is soothing, but the words aren't clear_   
>  _You don't sound different, I've learned the game_   
>  _I'm looking through you, you're not the same_   
>    
>  _Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?_   
>  _Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight_   
>    
>  _You're thinking of me, the same old way_   
>  _You were above me, but not today_   
>  _The only difference is you're down there_   
>  _I'm looking through you, and you're nowhere_   
>    
>  _Why, tell me why, did you not treat me right?_   
>  _Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight_   
>    
>  _I'm looking through you, where did you go_   
>  _I thought I knew you, what did I know_   
>  _You don't look different, but you have changed_   
>  _I'm looking through you, you're not the same_

“Nice song, Wave,” said a scratchy but undoubtedly feminine voice. The owner had a voice for radio, and it was a voice Emerald had once heard every day until she moved to Ponyville.

Emerald sat up and was surprised to find who else but Vinyl Scratch standing in front of her, stomping her front hooves in applause.

“Vi?!” Emerald exclaimed. “What the buck are you doing here?!”

Vinyl grinned. “I moved here, filly! Me and my sexy marefriend Octavia, you remember her, right?”

Emerald nodded, recalling the cellist from an uncountable number of _The_ _Vinyl Scratch_ episodes. “Yeah, of course! But when did you move here? What about the show?”

“The show came to an end,” Vinyl explained. “We’ve done a lot, after all, and it got to a point where I wanted to go back to my first love: making music. So, Tavi and I moved here about six months ago.” She smiled. “Good to see you again, Wave. I missed you.”

“Good to see you too, Vinyl,” Emerald said, scooting over on the bench so they could talk more.

“Guessing things have been pretty smooth with her Royal Bookness, huh?” Vinyl said, sitting beside Emerald on the bench. “Hardly a week goes by where you’re not in the _Canterlot Times_ for something or other.”

“I guess you might say that,” Emerald replied.

Vinyl brought down the lenses of her sunglasses. “You _guess_? That doesn’t sound very smooth to me.”

“Well… it’s just that she’s been spending a _lot_ of time with her friends these days,” Emerald said. “Learning friendship lessons, having adventures, all that stuff. But all I do is make sure the library is still open. A few months ago they went to Manehattan for Fashion Week, and scored free tickets to _Hinny on the Hills_.”

“Oh sweet!” Vinyl smiled. “How was the show?”

Emerald shrugged. “I don’t know, I never got to see it. I spent the whole time here in Ponyville.

Vinyl frowned. “That doesn’t sound like much fun… have you tried talking with her about this?”

Emerald shook her head. “She’s got enough on her plate without me bothering her.”

“But you’re her _marefriend_ ,” Vinyl pointed out. “You love her, and she loves you! Right?”

Emerald looked down at her hooves, as if afraid to voice something she’d started to think about only in the middle of the night, for fear she might make it real. “I… don’t know,” she whispered.

“Why don’t you know?” Vinyl asked gently.

“I guess…” Emerald’s voice shook slightly, “I guess I’m wondering if there’s really a place for me here, with her… maybe it would be better for us both if I went back to St. Luna.”

“Well, I think you should talk with her about it before you do anything rash,” Vinyl said. “I know you don’t want to break her heart.”

Emerald nodded. “Definitely. Thanks, Vinyl.”

Vinyl smiled and gave her former intern a hug. “Anytime, Wave.”

* * *

The following day was Sunday, it was the only day on the calendar where the library was closed to patrons. Twilight was back, and was spending the morning working on re-shelving the books when Emerald came down from the loft. “Twilight? Can we talk?”

Twilight looked up from the science shelves. “Of course we can, Emmy! It must be serious, you didn’t use my nickname. Is everything okay?” She flew down from where she’d been hovering to join Emerald on the ground, folding her wings up.

Emerald shook her head. “I want to talk about… us.”

Twilight blinked. “Us? What do you mean by that?”

Emerald chewed on her words thoughtfully before speaking. “Twilight… be honest. Do you think we have a future?”

“Of course we do!” Twilight replied at once, as though the question was ridiculous. “Why wouldn’t we?”

“Well…” Emerald looked over to the lock box that sat in the former Element case. “Ever since that box showed up, you’ve been spending a lot more time with your friends than me.”

“Emerald, what are you talking about?” Twilight asked. “I spend lots of time with you here!”

Emerald nodded. “Yeah, but we’re usually _working_ then. But when we’re not, you’re usually going to the spa with Rarity or visiting Fluttershy or getting flying lessons with Rainbow, or whatever else! The only times I see you outside of work is the morning and the evening! It feels like you don’t have time for me anymore!”

“I can’t help that I’m much more busy now, Emerald,” Twilight said, frowning. Her tail flicked in irritation. “I’m still trying to figure out that box! And I’m still trying to figure out what my new role in Equestria will be now that I’m a princess!”

“Yeah? And how’s that working out for you?!” Emerald asked acidly. “Maybe you’re the princess of ignoring her marefriend!”

“I’m not trying to ignore you!” shouted Twilight, “And I’m sorry if I am, but I just have a lot to do these days! I’m not a unicorn anymore, I can’t devote all my time to you!”

“That’s not what I’m asking and you bucking well know it, Sparkle!” Emerald shouted back. “But fine! If you’d rather spend more time with your world-saving friends who are oh so more important than me and solve the mysteries of Equestria, go on right ahead!” She turned her back on the purple alicorn and stomped not toward the front door, but the door that led to the library basement, where Twilight’s [lab](https://www.deviantart.com/zutheskunk/art/MLP-Resource-Bgr-007-Twilight-s-lab-301940550) was.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, and her horn started to glow. “No! You’re not going down there, Emerald!”

“Yeah? Just watch me!” Emerald yelled, galloping down the stairs as fast as she could.

The lab, just like the rest of the library, was made out of the tree itself. Twilight had built it herself shortly after she moved to Ponyville, and it now served as the resting place for a magical mirror that served as a gateway to another dimension. Attached to the mirror was a support [structure](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/3/30/Twilight_successfully_opens_the_Crystal_Mirror_EG2.png/revision/latest?cb=20141029012853) made of wood and brass that, when activated, allowed the portal to be opened outside of the 30-moon time limit. All it took was a simple shot of magic from a unicorn. Twilight had built it herself, and only she and Emerald were allowed to open the portal.

Emerald quickly fired a bolt of magic toward the casting crystal at the top of the support structure and the mirror began to work, magical sparks coursing down the wires and to the various components. Soon a swirling pink vortex replaced the glass, and Emerald dived through, vanishing from sight. It deactivated shortly thereafter.

* * *

Emerald landed roughly on the ground outside Canterlot High, transformed once again into a human. She got quickly to her feet, using the edge of the statue’s plinth to help her stand. Vaguely, she considered that Twilight could easily track her down and follow her here, but she hoped the alicorn would give her some space.

Emerald looked around, seeing that CHS was, for once, largely empty. The front entrance had been repaired since the formal incident, and unless someone looked really closely at some of the bricks, there was no way one could tell it had been destroyed by a raging she-demon.

“So, now what?” Emerald muttered. “Sure, I made it this far, but what do I do now that I’ve arrived?”

Shrugging, she began to walk the path that would eventually take her to Gem’s house, looking around at her surroundings. Traffic was light, and there weren’t too terribly many pedestrians out and about. She imagined it was probably a weekend here too, though as time moved more slowly here relative to Equestria, it was hard to tell.

Eventually however, Emerald reached Gem’s [home](https://bit.ly/3bRIyqG). It was built in the Victorian style and greatly resembled the house of a famous spooky television family, though with two floors and a tower instead of three. Emerald quickly made her way to the front door, knocked a few times, and waited.

Soon the door swung open, and Gem herself stood in the doorway. “Emerald! What a pleasant surprise!” she said, smiling. “What brings you here?” She paused. “Alone? Isn’t Twilight with you?”

Emerald shook her head. “No. Gem… I need to talk to somepony. Is it okay if I come in?”

“Of course it is,” said Gem warmly, moving to one side to let her in. “Do you want anything to drink?”

“Just water, please,” said Emerald, flopping unceremoniously onto the couch of Gem’s sitting room. It, like the rest of the house, seemed more like Gem lived in a modern furniture catalog instead of an old mansion like her pony counterpart did.

Gem came into the sitting room with two glasses of ice water, one of which she gave to Emerald, before making herself comfortable beside the other girl. “What seems to be the problem?” she asked gently.

Emerald sighed and put her head in her hands. “Twilight and I had a fight… a really bad one.”

“Really? Oh my, how awful…” Gem placed her hand on Emerald’s knee, looking worried. “What happened?”

“A lot of things,” Emerald replied. “After we got home from the formal, Twilight had to go to our Canterlot to prep for the Summer Sun Celebration, a day when everypony honors Princess Celestia. But back in Ponyville, these weird vines started sprouting from the nearby forest, so Twilight had to rush back to try and fix things.”

“Was she able to?” Gem asked.

Emerald nodded. “Her, Dash, AJ, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy all managed to stop the vines from spreading. But to do that they had to give up the Elements of Harmony.”

“Ah, yes!” Gem nodded, recognizing the term. “Twilight’s crown and five other necklaces, right?”

“Yeah,” Emerald confirmed. “There was this tree called the Tree of Harmony that created the Elements, and the vines made it sick. Twilight and her friends were able to cure the tree, and it created this kinda lock box thingy with six keyholes: one for each of them.”

“Were there keys as well?” Gem asked again.

Emerald shook her head. “Believe me, they’ve been spending most of the last year looking for them, but no luck.” She sighed. “I never get to go with them, because somepony has to keep the library open. Spike can go since he’s Twilight’s number one assistant, but not me. And even when they’re home in Ponyville, she spends a lot more time around them than with me these days. I only see her at work.”

“I think I’m starting to understand,” said Gem. “You’re afraid Twilight no longer has time for you, and that she may even no longer love you. Is that right?”

Emerald nodded. “I’ll be honest, Gem… loving Twilight was easier when she was a unicorn. Back then, she was just another pony, like me. Now she has wings and everypony who sees her bows to her, like she’s already taken Celestia’s throne or whatever. What if she gets to into her role as a princess that she just, I don’t know, forgets about me all together?” She sighed. “I told her I’d stick by her no matter what… I didn’t realize it would be this hard.”

“Love never is, Emerald,” Gem said softly, pulling Emerald into a hug. “Raven and I have had our fair share of fights, it’s just part of being a couple. But I will admit, I’ve never seen a relationship quite like the one you share with Twilight.”

Emerald sighed again. “What am I going to do?”

“Well, you can stay here for a little while, if you’d like,” Gem replied. “Give yourself some time away from your problems. But you can’t stay here forever, eventually you’ll have to face them.”

“What if I’m not ready?” Emerald whispered.

Gem smiled. “You will be. Come, I’ll let you get settled.” She stood and led Emerald up the stairs to the second floor, and to the very guest room she’d used the last time she’d been here.

* * *

Twilight had to stop herself from kicking something as she heard the sound of Emerald’s hooves on the basement stairs, then a whoosh of magic as the portal opened and then closed again. She had a sudden thought to teleport downstairs and go after Emerald, but before she could, she instead decided to go out and head over to Rarity’s. Of the six of them, she was the second-most likely to fall in love, so it made sense for Twilight to ask her for advice.

So, Twilight threw open the door of the library, stormed outside, and slammed it shut behind her. Then she took to the air, soaring above Ponyville as she made for the boutique as fast as her wings could carry her.

Landing far more neatly after a year of practice, she rapped her hoof against the top half of the Boutique’s door, her expression furious.

Blue magic pulled the door open as Rarity peered outside. “Twilight, goodness gracious! Whatever seems to be the trouble, darling? You practically have steam coming out of your ears!”

“Emerald and I had a fight,” said Twilight, getting right to the point. “If you ask me, she’s being completely unreasonable!”

“Come in and we’ll see about that,” Rarity said, pulling the bottom half open and leading Twilight into the residential portion of her shop. She quickly made a couple cups of tea and floated one over to Twilight, and once they were settled in, got straight to the point.

“Now then, what exactly did she say?” Rarity began.

“She accused me of spending more time with you and the others than with her,” Twilight replied, sipping her tea. “Which is patently absurd, of course. I spend plenty of time with all of you, and I see her at work every day! I mean honestly, how _dare_ she think I’m ignoring her! I pay plenty of attention to her!”

Rarity frowned deeply, her eyes narrowing. “Twilight Nebula Sparkle, what in _Equestria_ has gotten into you?!” she exclaimed. “If I didn’t know you better, I would swear you sound like one of those awful ponies who abuse their partners! This isn’t like you at all!”

Rarity lit her horn, casting a silencing spell on the alicorn’s muzzle to prevent her from speaking. “If you ask me, Emerald had every right to say such things! I understand that we girls are important to you, and so is that locked box, but that is no excuse for how terribly you’ve been treating Emerald!” She released the spell. “What do you have to say for yourself?!”

Twilight’s face was pale. “I didn’t realize how hurt she was... but it explains why she’s been so distant with me lately. I can’t even remember the last time she used my nickname, she just calls me Twilight now.”

Rarity nodded. “Twilight, darling, it pains me to say these words, but I think you should go to her and apologize, lest she slip through your hooves.” She hugged the alicorn tight. “I know you, and I know you’d never intentionally hurt another pony. She knows that too, but you need to be the one to prove it. Can you do that?”

Twilight nodded. “I think so... thanks, Rarity.”

Rarity smiled. “What are friends for, darling? Give yourself some time to think, and go to her when you’re ready.” A thought occurred to her. “Where did she go, anyway?”

“The mirror world,” Twilight answered. “Ever since I rigged up a device that can open the portal manually, she and I have been making small trips here and there whenever we need a break from our lives. It’s surprisingly helpful, especially once you get used to a human body.”

Rarity wrinkled her muzzle distastefully. “I think I’ll stay with my spa visits, Twilight... I’d rather not become a shaved ape if it’s all the same to you.”

Laughing, Twilight got to her hooves, said goodbye to Rarity, and quickly flew back to the library to begin thinking things over.

* * *

A week or so passed. On one side of the portal, Emerald spent her days trying to be a good housemate for Gem, and on the other side, Twilight worked to prepare a special surprise for her marefriend, as a penance for the way she had wronged her.

On Friday, the date Emerald agreed to return to Equestria, she stepped through the portal and after a dizzying trip through the gateway between worlds, fell forward onto all fours. “Buck, that’s never going to get easier...” she groaned, looking slightly green.

“Need a little help?” said a familiar voice. A purple hoof reached out to help Emerald stand, and the yellow unicorn looked into the deep purple eyes of the mare she loved, now soft and caring instead of hard and angry.

Twilight smiled. “Emmy... I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how much I’d been ignoring you until everything exploded the way it did... I didn’t even believe you until Rarity told me she agreed with you.” She wrapped her wings around Emerald and pulled her close. “I may be a princess now, but that doesn’t mean I can desert those I love. I love you, and I appreciate you, so I made you this.”

Twilight brought over a dark green book with their respective cutie marks on the front cover. Intrigued, Emerald opened the book and was surprised to find every page was filled with pictures of herself and Twilight spending time together! There were pictures from Nightmare Night and Hearth’s Warming, and ones taken in various places around Ponyville, and even ones from when they went to visit Twilight’s parents.

“Oh Sparks... this is _beautiful_...” Emerald whispered, tears in her eyes as she took it all in. “How long did it take for you to make it?”

“A week,” Twilight replied. “The hardest part was just finding the pictures, arranging them into a book was easier.” She smiled. “I’m really glad you like it, Emmy.”

“Of course I do,” Emerald said, kissing Twilight on the cheek. “And, by the way? Apology accepted, and then some.”

“Thanks, Emmy,” said Twilight, nuzzling Emerald’s cheek. “Want to go get a snack at Sugarcube Corner?”

“You bet I do!” Emerald beamed as the two of them trotted upstairs and out into town, their tails entwined. As they went along, they sang a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLQox8e9688) in two part harmony:

> _Two of us riding nowhere_   
>  _Spending someone's_   
>  _Hard earned pay_   
>  _You and me Sunday driving_   
>  _Not arriving_   
>  _On our way back home_   
>  _We're on our way home_   
>  _We're on our way home_   
>  _We're going home_   
>    
>  _Two of us sending postcards_   
>  _Writing letters_   
>  _On my wall_   
>  _You and me burning matches_   
>  _Lifting latches_   
>  _On our way back home_   
>  _We're on our way home_   
>  _We're on our way home_   
>  _We're going home_   
>    
>  _You and I have memories_   
>  _Longer than the road that stretches out ahead_   
>    
>  _Two of us wearing raincoats_   
>  _Standing solo_   
>  _In the sun_   
>  _You and me chasing paper_   
>  _Getting nowhere_   
>  _On our way back home_   
>  _We're on our way home_   
>  _We're on our way home_   
>  _We're going home_   
>    
>  _You and I have memories_   
>  _Longer than the road that stretches out ahead_   
>    
>  _Two of us wearing raincoats_   
>  _Standing solo_   
>  _In the sun_   
>  _You and me chasing paper_   
>  _Getting nowhere_   
>  _On our way back home_   
>  _We're on our way home_   
>  _We're on our way home_   
>  _We're going home_


	6. The Music in Our Hearts: Part 1

**_Greece, c. 1260-1180 BC_ **

The night sky was filled with stars, and the air was warm. Of course, this was Greece during the late Bronze age, the air was _always_ warm. The air was still, no wind blew. At least, that was until a great glowing white portal opened up somewhere in the starfield. Out fell three young women, approximately 19 or 20 years old. All three were clad in colored togas that matched their skin tones: bright yellow, pale blue, and light magenta respectively, with bright red gems at their throats. They landed roughly on a beach, the sand cushioning their fall.

One of these women, the blue one, sat up and looked around, perplexed. _“What the… where_ ** _are_** _we?”_ she asked in the tongue of her species, a language that was utterly unlike any other on Earth. The flat face she now possessed instead of a familiar draconic muzzle meant the words didn’t quite sound right.

 _“And what are we?”_ echoed one of the others, the magenta one. She frowned distastefully at the sight of her fleshy ape-like body. _“Some kind of hairless monkey?”_

 _“I don’t know,”_ replied their leader, the yellow-skinned woman with an enormous mane of orange and yellow curls. _“All I do know is that we can’t return to Equestria_. _That stupid old goat Starswirl and his pegasus friend of his tricked us_.” She looked up at the sky. Sure enough, there was no sign of the portal they’d come through.

 _“Well, that’s just great,”_ snarked the magenta one. _“Banished to some other world and stuffed into freaky monkey bodies. Look at me, I can’t swim like this!”_ She gestured to her current form, infuriated.

 _“Maybe we don’t need to_ ,” the yellow one said, surveying her own body. _“This form has plentiful curves… and these gems match the ones on our chests back home. We can at least survive, provided we find any local inhabitants.”_

 _“Are you sure about this, Adagio?”_ the blue one asked. _“It doesn’t seem like this world has any magic in the first place!”_

 _“Try singing then, if you doubt me,”_ Adagio replied, scowling at her youngest sister.

Sonata nodded and began to sing, the way she’d had since she’d first hatched some two hundred years earlier: a wordless vocalization that was guaranteed to ensnare ponies of all types and genders in its web. The necklace at her throat began to glow, making every note absolutely perfect.

Adagio smiled like a shark. If she still had her old body, that would’ve sent any spies screaming in the other direction, had there been any. _“You see_?” she said. _“This plan may not be to our liking, but it’s the only one we’ve got… unless the two of you would prefer to starve.”_ Her sisters shook their heads rapidly in reply, and Adagio got up, quickly getting to grips with how this form moved.

 _“Let’s get started_ ,” she said, pointing the way to the distant city-state of Athens. _“Whatever the native species is, let’s hope they are as pliable as ponies_.” And so, the three sirens quickly made their way toward the city, and the destinies that awaited them.

* * *

Centuries passed. The Dazzlings traveled from city to city, country to country, ensnaring all with their song so they could feed on the resulting discord and strife. They sang to Odysseus, and to Julius Caesar. They sang to Alexander the Great, and Marco Polo. Their immortality meant they never aged, allowing them to sing to almost every ruler of every major country on Earth, from Egyptian pharaohs to Chinese emperors and empresses, to kings and queens and presidents.

It was not an easy life. When the Black Death swept across Europe, it was all they could do to avoid becoming ill themselves. During the witch trials in Salzburg, they were almost tried for witchcraft, only escaping by singing for their guard and fleeing into the night. King George III of England almost had them executed, but they were able to flee on a ship of troops setting sail for the United States. In the Second World War, they elected to use their powers to assist the Allies in liberating France, Adagio’s favorite country. (They refused to sing for Hitler, and managed to evade every attempt the Nazis made at catching them, if only just.)

With the invention of widely available recorded music, the Dazzlings were able to spread themselves out beyond mere physical presence. Though they could not feed off of someone merely playing a record, the exposure helped, since it meant more people would attend their concerts. They hit a snag in the 1960s when a certain quartet of musicians from the English port city of Liverpool became the biggest band in the world, but after the 1970 break-up, things improved once again.

Then came Canterlot, and disaster.

* * *

**_Canterlot City Cafe, September 4th_ **

The Dazzlings had only been in Canterlot for a day or two when the Fall Formal occurred. Times had been difficult, the invention of social media meant that more humans were aware of the violence that typically accompanied one of their live performances. This meant they had to wear baggy clothes that could hide their faces, and sing as unobtrusively as possible to avoid attracting unwanted attention, like they were doing now.

As their current piece came to an end, Aria sighed and threw back her hood, annoyed as ever. “That was barely worth the effort, Adagio. I'm tired of fast food. I need a meal,” she complained.

“And as I have explained to you repeatedly,” Adagio said through gritted teeth, “the energy in this world isn't the same as in Equestria. We can only gain so much power here.”

“Ugh!” groaned Aria. “I wish we'd never been banished to this awful place!”

“I'll tell you one thing, being stuck here with you two isn't making this world any more bearable,” Adagio replied, rising to leave. “Come on, let’s get back on the road. If we hurry we can make it to Manehattan by-” She froze. A cyan-colored beam of light was shining from the opposite side of town, and she could feel something like electricity give her goosebumps.

Adagio turned and ran outside, standing near the cafe’s entrance. As she watched, a tower of rainbow-colored light rose up and struck something before disappearing into the clouds. At the same instant, Adagio felt her gem shimmer with power.

“Did you feel that?!” she asked her sisters, unable to hide her excitement. “Do you know what that is?!” As the other two shrugged, she continued: “It’s Equestrian magic!”

“But this world doesn’t have Equestrian magic,” Aria shot back. Lately, she’d been trying to usurp Adagio’s position as leader, exhausted with her older sister’s increasingly secretive approach to food-gathering.

“It does now,” Adagio replied. “Not much, but enough. And we're going to use it to make everyone in this pathetic little world _adore_ us!”

“Don’t they, like, do that already?” asked Sonata.

“They don’t _worship_ us, Sonata,” Adagio replied. “They never have, even Homer made us out as creatures to be feared, rather than as goddesses to be revered. But no more. With Equestrian magic present here, we can rule this world and take back our true forms once and for all.” She pointed east. “Tomorrow, girls, we go back to school.”

Aria groaned. “There’s no possible way this could go wrong,” she muttered, as Adagio led them back to the hotel where they’d been staying.

* * *

**_Canterlot High School, September 14th_ **

Sunset Shimmer was nervous. Today was to be her first day at CHS since the Fall Formal and the end of her week-long suspension, and she couldn’t help but feel anxious over how the school might treat her. Even so, she packed up her backpack and grabbed a granola bar from a box on the counter of her kitchenette, then went outside to wait for Gem.

Still, today wouldn’t be all bad. She at least had four other girls in her corner: Gemini Shadow, Raven Sable, Vinyl Scratch, and the newest addition to the group, Vinyl’s girlfriend Octavia Melody. Sunset had spent as much as time as she could with them over the past two weeks, and they, in turn, had made it clear she was forgiven for her past transgressions.

Soon, there was the honking of a horn and Gem’s car came rolling up to the front door of Sunset’s apartment. “Good morning, Sunset!” Gem called out, waving as she rolled down the window. “Ready for school?”

“As I’ll ever be,” replied Sunset, heaving a sigh as she pulled open the passenger door and climbed inside. She buckled up, and Gem began the drive toward CHS, guiding her car easily through the morning traffic.

“Are you sure everything’s going to be okay, Gem?” Sunset asked her friend as she watched the scenery go by.

Gem bit her lip. “Well, not a hundred percent sure, I’ll admit. You did a lot more than just cause trouble at the Formal.”

“A demon,” Sunset replied. “I turned into a raging she-demon. Also I tried to brainwash everybody into being my own personal teenage army. _And_ I spent a long time working my way to the top of the social ladder, and bullying everyone else once I got there.” She laid her forehead on the window. “This is gonna be a disaster…”

“Sunset, relax,” said Gem bracingly. “No matter how the rest of the students react, you know us girls will always have your back!”

That got Sunset to smile, if only a little. “The noogie Vinyl gave me as revenge for crashing her car probably helped.”

Gem laughed, “It did, yes. And Octavia’s completely new to the school, just like I was once upon a time! If anyone is unbiased in this entire situation, it’s her!”

“That’s true,” agreed Sunset. “She kind of reminds me of you. Must be the accent.”

Gem blushed. “Well, we did used to attend the same school in Trottingham…”

* * *

The hallways of CHS were busy as ever in the half hour or so before classes began. Students milled around collecting items from their lockers or just chatted with their friends, regardless of which group they fit into. Since Princess Twilight had visited and brought an end to Sunset’s reign of terror, the atmosphere of the place had loosened up considerably as new friendships formed all across the school.

“You were right, Vinyl!” said a black-haired grey-skinned [cellist](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/66/f0/af/66f0af7317dece2e9ff468a2d29ec001.jpg) with purple eyes, smiling at her pale-skinned, blue-haired girlfriend as they walked the halls together. “This place feels far less strict than Prufrock Prepatory School!”

“Told ya,” Vinyl said with a grin, kissing Octavia’s cheek. Vinyl had been dating her for a few months now, ever since they’d met on MyStable over the summer. It had taken a bit of effort to convince the cellist’s family to let Octavia move to Canterlot, but the ringing endorsement CHS had received from Gem’s relatives (the Melody and Shadow clans had been friends for years) smoothed things over.

“Morning, ladies,” said a voice with a strong Manehattan accent. Raven sauntered into view, wearing her usual grey t-shirt with a blue vest and plaid purple skirt with black boots. “Sunset here yet?”

“Not yet,” replied Octavia, checking her phone. “But I’m sure she’ll be here soon!”

Almost as soon as the words had left her mouth did the school’s front doors open. Gem came in first, took a look around, and gave a thumbs-up to an unseen figure on the other side of the glass.

Then, very slowly, Sunset Shimmer entered the school, doing her best to make herself look small and inconspicuous. It was quite a change from the girl who had once stomped through the halls like she owned the place. As she came inside, the low babble of chatter slowly died away to be replaced with absolute perfect silence.

For quite some time, the soft sound of Sunset’s boots against tile was all anyone heard as she walked down the hall, only briefly glancing up at the encouraging smiles given to her by the four girls she now called her friends. Everyone else stood with their back to her, giving her the cold shoulder.

“This isn’t going as well as I’d hoped,” whispered Gem into Raven’s ear. “I didn’t think everyone would act like this!”

“Neither did I,” Raven whispered back. “Things can’t get worse than this, can they?”

Vinyl thwapped her on the head. “Don’t say things like that!” she hissed. “Now you’re just begging for trouble!”

Sure enough, trouble was exactly what they got. As Sunset climbed the stairs to the floor where her locker was, the cold shoulder continued unabated, but there was more. Someone had defaced the [locker](https://www.deviantart.com/jowybean/art/She-Demon-commission-694733233), writing the words “SHE-DEMON” in bright red letters using a spray can, even adding devil horns and a demonic tail for artistic flair.

Sunset stopped where she stood, tears beginning to fill her eyes. “Who… who would do such a thing?” she asked, staring in horror at the display. “Gem, I thought you said things would be okay!”

“I didn’t realize someone would stoop so far as to write graffiti onto your locker, Sunset!” Gem exclaimed. “I’m sorry, I really am!”

“I know,” sniffled Sunset. “But I don’t think _they_ are.” Gesturing to the other students, she ran back down the hall and down the stairs, then out of school altogether.

Gem put her face in her hands, looking upset herself. “No! This wasn’t how it was supposed to go at all!”

“We should probably tell the Sisters,” Raven reasoned. “I’ll go get them.” She headed in the opposite direction toward the administration offices.

* * *

In what seemed like no time at all, the entire Canterlot High student body reported to the gymnasium for an emergency assembly. Sunset was conspicuous by her absence, an empty space was left for her as the students filed in. No one spoke, there was only the shuffling of thousands of shoes as the students entered and sat on the bleachers.

On the stage, Celestia and Luna were looking grim. “Good morning,” began Luna, speaking in her role as CHS’ disciplinarian. “As I’m sure you all know, a student sprayed insulting graffiti on the locker belonging to Ms. Sunset Shimmer as she returned to school following the incident at the Formal. The investigation is still ongoing, but rest assured those responsible will be punished. Bullying remains a crime at Canterlot High, regardless of reasoning or who is involved.”

“I expect all of you to treat Sunset Shimmer like you would any other student,” Celestia said. “I realize that memories of her past are still very fresh, but that is no excuse to make her feel unwelcome. Is that understood?”

There was a dull roar of assent from the bleachers.

“Furthermore,” Celestia continued, now speaking in a brighter voice, “there is a second reason we’ve called you here this morning. Luna and I have noticed that many of our students are musically inclined, and to boost morale following the Formal, we are hereby announcing a musical showcase, open to all students who wish to sign up. If you’re interested, feel free to visit my office at any time over the next few days, the showcase is scheduled for the weekend after next!”

Loud, excited chattering broke out as the students were dismissed and began to file to their next class, practically everyone was planning to sign up and form a band. Vinyl, Octavia, Raven, and Gem were no different, they met up by the gym doors and began walking down the hall to the music room, as they had a free period before lunch.

“Girls, I think we’re all thinking the same thing,” said Vinyl with a grin. “We should form a band!”

“But what would we play?” asked Octavia. “You work in the electronic genre, Gem and myself are classical musicians, and Raven plays guitar! That’s at least three different genres!”

“I know!” Vinyl said enthusiastically. “We’ll make music no one at CHS has ever heard before, we’ll be totally unique!” A thought struck her. “We should get Sunset in on this too!”

“I think that sounds like a splendid idea,” agreed Gem. “A group activity like this is just what she needs to help improve her reputation!” She grabbed her phone, “I’ll text her immediately!”

“Atta girl, Gem,” said Raven happily, kissing Gem’s cheek. “How about we meet back here after school and practice?”

Vinyl shook her head. “No way, the bookings for this room are gonna be a nightmare for days. We need a private space, somewhere where we won’t be interrupted by other students.”

Octavia tapped her chin, then straightened her bow tie. “My house has a rehearsal room for me to practice cello in,” she said at last. “We could use that, it’s acoustically treated and everything!”

“It sounds perfect,” said Gem with a smile. “Let’s do it, girls!” They then spent the rest of the free period and lunch putting together a plan of action.

* * *

That afternoon, the five girls all met up at Octavia’s house to practice. As luck would have it, her parents were out of town on business, which meant they would be able to play without fear of interruption. Vinyl had brought along an electronic drum kit, Gem had her keyboard, Raven had her guitar, and Octavia had her cello.

“Uh… don’t you need a bow for that?” Raven asked, as Octavia lugged the instrument into the room and sat down on a chair.

“Not exactly,” Octavia replied with a grin. She turned the cello on to its side and began to play it as if it were a bass guitar, her fingers flying across the neck.

“Alright, that’s pretty clever,” said Raven, chuckling. “Sunset, do you want in on this?”

Sunset jumped, having spent the past several minutes leaning against a wall. “Wha?! Oh, uh… no thanks, Raven. I think I’m good. I’ll just stand here and observe!”

“If you say so,” Raven replied, shrugging. “What song should we start with, girls?”

“I have a suggestion!” Gem placed her fingers on the keys and began to [play](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPtK3seun3o) a few synth chords. Vinyl, recognizing the tune immediately, joined in on drums while Raven and Octavia provided a little extra rhythm. Then Gem began to sing:

> _Are you burnin’ baby?_
> 
> _Lighting up the dark_
> 
> _Can you hardly take it?_
> 
> _Everyone wising in stars_
> 
> _Can you feel me shakin’? (shakin)_
> 
> _Makin’ our dreams come true_
> 
> _All the hearts you’re breakin’ (breakin’)_
> 
> _Cause’ there’s nobody else like you_
> 
> _We run across the sky (the sky)_
> 
> _Faster than the speed of light_
> 
> _We’ve got magic on our side (our side)_
> 
> _‘Cause you know what you are_
> 
> _You’re my shooting star_
> 
> _Shooting star_
> 
> _You are, you are_
> 
> _Shooting star_
> 
> _You are, you are_

Then Raven took a verse:

> _Are you goin’ crazy?_
> 
> _All eyes on you_
> 
> _The vibes you be creatin’_
> 
> _Electric neon blue_
> 
> _Stardusted hazy (hazy)_
> 
> _Dancin’ on the moon_
> 
> _There’s no escapin’ (escapin’)_
> 
> _A galaxy in a bloom_

For the chorus, they harmonized:

> _We run across the sky (the sky)_
> 
> _Faster than the speed of light_
> 
> _We’ve got magic on our side (our side)_
> 
> _‘Cause you know what you are_
> 
> _You’re my shooting star_
> 
> _Shooting star_
> 
> _You are, you are_
> 
> _Shooting star_
> 
> _You are, you are_

As the four musicians sang and played, a surprising transformation took place. Short fur that matched their respective complexions sprouted from their skin, pony ears poked through their hair, tails appeared, they developed hooves rather than feet, and equine muzzles. Gem and Vinyl received horns, while Raven sprouted wings. (Octavia sported no additional features.)

Octavia let out a surprised whinny and stopped playing, bringing the song to a sudden halt. “What on Earth?! What am I?!” she shrieked, looking at herself in alarm.

“It’s alright, Tavi!” Vinyl said, coming out from behind the kit to hold Octavia close. “You’re just a pony now, it happens whenever we play music.”

Octavia sniffed. “Of course, magic… and here I thought you said that Princess Twilight person took all the magic with her when she left after the Formal.” (She’d been out of town that night.)

“That’s what we thought too,” said Gem, pawing at the ground a bit. “But I guess there must be a little magic left here after all, if we can still change like this.”

“It’s not permanent, is it?” asked Octavia, flicking her tail worriedly. “I don’t want to have to explain to Mother and Father why their daughter suddenly has to eat hay and oats and things like that.”

Surprisingly, it was Sunset who answered. “You’ll be fine, Octavia. A cross-species transformation like this will naturally dissipate before too long, since the local magic field here is too weak to sustain it for an extended period. It’d take a _lot_ more than one practice session to make it permanent.”

“Local magic field?” Octavia echoed. “Sunset, I’m afraid I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about!”

“Let me explain,” said Sunset, going over to a nearby dry-erase board and starting to draw. “As you know, even though the portal changed me into a human, I was born a pony. Back where I’m from, the entire planet is surrounded by a field of magic. Think of it as our version of your magnetic field.” She drew a big circle with rough shapes of continents, then a series of lines arcing outward.

“The stronger a magic field is,” she continued, “the more spells a unicorn can cast, and the easier it is for pegasi to control weather or manipulate clouds, and for earth ponies to grow plants.” Next she drew a crown, and a rough sketch of CHS’ front entrance. “When I came to this world, I brought a magical object with me: the Element of Magic. Even by itself, the Element of Magic is a ridiculously powerful artifact, capable of at least forming a magic field where there was none previously. This field _should_ have dissipated when Twilight left, but it didn’t.”

“Why didn’t it?” Octavia asked.

Sunset sighed and drew the face of a red-skinned demoness, then a rainbow. “I used the power of the Element of Magic and turned into a raging she-demon,” she said at last. “Then, Princess Twilight, her consort, Gem, Raven, and Vinyl all transformed and defeated me using the magic of friendship. Usually, that kind of power is channeled through all six Elements of Harmony, but just about anyone can use it if the field is strong enough and there is magic being actively used.”

“Like your hypnosis spell and stuff!” Raven said, snapping her fingers.

Sunset nodded. “Exactly. Friendship magic is kind of a mystery back home. No one really knows how it works, only that it’s literally the most powerful force known to ponies. And it had never been used in a low-magic world like this one until the Formal. The crown may have generated a magic field, but defeating me with the power of harmony made it permanent.”

“You mean,” Octavia said, “there’s magic all around us now? In the whole world?”

Sunset shook her head again. “Not the whole world, no. If you went to Baltimare and tried to play music there, you wouldn’t transform at all. There _is_ a magic field here in Canterlot though, mainly covering the part of town where Canterlot High is. The farther away from that area you go, the weaker it gets. Thus, CHS is where the field is strongest, especially right at the portal itself, since that’s a big magical object too.”

“I think I’m starting to understand,” Octavia said. “The stronger the magic field is, and the more we play, the more likely it is this change will be permanent?”  
  
Again, Sunset shook her head. “Nope. For a permanent change, you’d need a much bigger magic field than just a few city blocks. While it is possible for the field to grow, playing music isn’t going to be the reason why.” She smiles. “So like I said, don’t worry. You’re going to be fine.”

Octavia looked dubiously at her tail, but nodded. “Very well, Sunset… you are clearly the expert on this subject, and therefore I trust you.”

Sunset blushed.

* * *

It was midnight in Canterlot. The otherwise busy streets were quiet, and a full moon shone in the sky, illuminating the city in a pale imitation of sunlight. It was chilly too, now that fall had arrived. Adagio Dazzle could see her breath come out in little clouds as she and her sisters walked through the empty city toward Canterlot High.

At this time of night, the school looked almost imposing, hidden in shadows as it was. The doors would be locked, of course, but Adagio didn’t care. She wouldn’t be going inside, after all.

“This must be the place,” said Aria Blaze quietly. “I can feel something here.” She fingered the red ruby pendant she wore, it seemed to glow with an unearthly, alien light.

“What you’re feeling is _power_ , Aria,” said Adagio, looking around. “ _Real_ power, genuine Equestrian magic… this entire part of the city is covered in it, but especially here.” She touched the cold stone of the portal, and laid the palm of her hand on it. If she concentrated, she could almost feel the magic inside churning away, even though the portal itself was currently closed.

“How are we gonna get at that power, Dagi?” asked Sonata, tilting her head like a cat.

Adagio picked up a fallen poster that advertised the coming musical showcase. “Ah… it seems this school will be holding a musical showcase of some sort… perhaps we should put in an appearance.” She smiled darkly. “Though why stop at a mere showcase, when a _battle_ would taste so much better?”

“So we're just gonna do what we always do?” said Aria, rolling her eyes. She’d heard plans like these an innumerable amount of times over the centuries. “Stir up some trouble and then feed off the negative energy? Some plan, Adagio.”

“It won't be the same as the times before!” Adagio replied. “There is Equestrian magic here. Their negative energy will give us the power we need to get this entire world to do our bidding.” She fingered her necklace. “Our voices are just strong enough to make them want something _so badly_ , they'll fight to get it. Hence the Battle. The more driven they are to compete, the easier it will be for us to tear them apart.”

Aria nodded. “Okay, I think I’m starting to like this plan. When do we move in?”  
  
“Tomorrow,” Adagio replied. “The sooner we move in and bend these humans to our will, the faster we’ll have our real powers back.” She turned on her heel and marched back the way they had come.

* * *

**_Canterlot High School, September 15th_ **

There was a long line outside the administration area of CHS the next morning as what looked like each and every member of the student body signed up to perform in the showcase. Raven was toward the front of the line, discussing potential band names with Vinyl.

“How about The Flock?” Raven suggested, tossing a guitar pick up in the air as she spoke, then catching it.

“Maybe,” said Vinyl, shrugging. “What’s the collective noun for a group of ravens, anyway?”

“An unkindness,” Raven replied. “That’s also what my family calls our family reunions.” She tapped her chin. “Doesn’t really work for a band name though.”

“We turn into ponies when we play,” said Vinyl. “Why not something pony-related?”

Raven laughed. “Like what? The Horseshoes? Four Mares and a She-Demon? The Haymunchers?”

  
Vinyl snapped her fingers. “I got it! How about The Elements? Since we can make badass rainbow friendship lasers too?”

Raven nodded. “Works for me.” And so, when it was their turn, she wrote The Elements in a little box on the sign-up sheet, along with their members: herself, Vinyl, Gem, and Octavia. (Sunset was not an official member, instead acting as their quasi-manager.)

Speaking of Sunset, the former unicorn was downstairs in the main atrium, about to greet three new students. She’d volunteered in the hopes that she’d be able to make a good first impression before the CHS rumor mill told them about her past.

As she came down the steps, she saw three young women standing near the doors: one had yellow skin and curly orange hair, another had magenta skin with purple hair and green streaks, and the third had blue skin and duo-toned blue hair. All three wore necklaces with bright red gems, and they seemed to carry some kind of aura that Sunset wasn’t sure she liked.

Even so, she put on her best welcoming smile and said, “Hi! Are you the girls I'm supposed to show around?”

“We are,” said the yellow one, who seemed to be the leader. “I am Adagio Dazzle, and these are my sisters Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk.”

“Pleased to meet you,” said Sunset, shaking each girl’s hand. “I’m Sunset Shimmer. Canterlot High is a great school, you’re really gonna love it!”

“Yes,” agreed Adagio, smiling like a predator catching its prey. It made Sunset shiver just to look at it, and goosebumps raised on her skin as the yellow girl made eye contact. “Oh, yes, we really sense there's something... _magical_ about this place.”

Sunset blinked. That had been a peculiar choice of words. She cleared her throat. “Anyway, uh… let’s get going, I guess!” With that, she began to guide the three sirens through the hallways of the school, pointing out each department’s specific hallway (one for math, one for history, another for English and foreign language courses, and a fourth for the sciences) as well as the computer and science labs, the library, the gym, the cafeteria, and the athletic field.

As they went along, Sunset pointed out one of the posters for the upcoming showcase. “We're having a big musical showcase this weekend!” she said, gesturing to the poster. “The whole school is pretty much rallying around it. I'm sure since you're new, Principal Celestia would let you sign up if you're interested.”

“We have been known to sing from time to time,” said Aria, chewing on some bubble gum.

“Hello? We sing, like, all the time! It's how we get people to do what we want!” Sonata added, but looked confused as Adagio drew her fingers across her throat in the universal gesture of _“STOP TALKING OR I SWEAR TO FAUST I WILL SLIT YOUR THROAT.”_

“What my sister _means_ to say is that being in a musical showcase sounds like a great way to meet other students,” said Adagio, hoping Sunset hadn’t noticed. She rolled her eyes. “You'll have to excuse them. They're idiots.”

Sunset laughed nervously, trying desperately to change the subject. Her eyes fell on the pendants. “Those are pretty! Where did you-” She froze in mid-sentence. She’d reached out to touch one and Adagio had grabbed her wrist as if about to break it, but then released her grip.

“Sorry, these pendants mean an awful lot to us,” Adagio explained. “We'd just hate for anything to happen to them.”

Sunset nodded. “Right, gotcha. Well, that’s pretty much the grand tour. I’ll show you to Principal Celestia’s office so you can sign up for the showcase.” And she led them back toward the admin area, now mercifully free of students.

* * *

At lunchtime, the cafeteria was filled with students chattering and working on what they might perform for the showcase. At their usual table near the back was Sunset and her friends.

“How was the tour?” asked Gem, as Sunset came over with her lunch and sat down to join the other four girls.

“I don't know,” Sunset replied. “I mean, these girls, they were... There was something _off_ about them. I can't put my finger on it, they just acted sort of... strange around me.” Her eyes grew wide. “Maybe someone already talked to them, told them about what I did!” She put her head in her hands and sighed. “So much for making a good first impression…”

“I’m sure that wasn’t it, Sunset,” said Octavia, placing a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Did they say anything strange?”

Sunset looked up. “You know, they did mention magic once, and they seemed awfully protective of these pendants they wore… I wonder if…” She looked thoughtful. “No way. The portal’s closed.”

“You think those girls could be from Equestria, like you?” Raven asked.

Sunset could only shrug. “I really hope not. The last thing we need is another CHS event almost ruined by some power-crazed lunatic.” She smirked a bit as she said it.

Just as the words left Sunset’s mouth however, something surprising happened. The cafeteria doors banged open, and the very girls Sunset had shown around the school that morning sauntered inside, vocalizing. Gradually the babble of talk died away as everyone realized what was going on, just in time for them to begin [singing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki6bXoAiSlA):

> _We heard you want to get together_
> 
> _We heard you want to rock this school_
> 
> _We've thought of something that is better_
> 
> _Something that changes all the rules_
> 
> _Why pretend we're all the same_
> 
> _When some of us shine brighter?_
> 
> _Here's a chance to find your flame_
> 
> _Are you a loser or a fighter?_
> 
> _Me and you, you and me_
> 
> _Why don't we see who is better?_
> 
> _We don't have to be one and the same thing_
> 
> _Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition?_
> 
> _Are you afraid of failing the audition?_
> 
> _You're a star and you should know it_
> 
> _Yeah, you rise above the rest_
> 
> _It doesn't matter who you hurt_
> 
> _If you're just proving you're the best_
> 
> _Ah, ahh-ahh-ahhh_
> 
> _Battle! You wanna win it_
> 
> _Let's have a battle, battle of the bands_
> 
> _Let's have a battle, we'll go all in it_
> 
> _Let's have a battle, battle, battle_
> 
> _Battle of the bands!_

As they sang, the five girls at the back watched in mounting horror and confusion as their fellow students began to turn on each other, their eyes glowing green as the hypnotic powers of the sirens took effect.

“I can beat you!” shouted someone.

“Ha, you wish!” yelled someone else in reply.

“I _so_ want this!” cried a third person.

“Not if I get it first!” exclaimed a fourth.

As the mood continued to sour, the Dazzlings went into the chorus, now with the students joining in:

> _Me and you, you and me_
> 
> _Why don't we see who is better?_
> 
> _We don't have to be one and the same thing_
> 
> _Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition?_
> 
> _I'm going out and winning the audition_
> 
> _Battle! We wanna win it_
> 
> _Let's have a battle, battle of the bands_
> 
> _Let's have a battle, we'll go all in it_
> 
> _Let's have a battle, battle, battle_
> 
> _Battle of the bands!_

“What do we do now?!” exclaimed Raven, looking panicked. Students were arguing now, and the room was filled with angry shouts.

“Run!” yelled Gem, springing from her chair. She ran for the cafeteria doors, staying to the edges of the room and avoiding as many arguing students as she could, gripping Raven’s hand the whole way. Sunset, Vinyl, and Octavia were close behind, as everyone was too caught up in their own fights to notice them leave.

Except for the Dazzlings of course. Adagio frowned as the five girls ran for their lives, and stroked her chin. Whoever they were, they weren’t affected by the song… that could present a problem. She tapped Aria on the shoulder and pointed the five out. “You and Sonata, tail those girls and see if you can find out why they’re not under our control,” she said. “But don’t interact. Let’s give them a false sense of security.”

“On it,” Aria replied, saluting. She dragged Sonata away from a tray of tacos and stalked off after Sunset and her friends, careful to remain hidden.

* * *

“Okay, seriously, what the _hell_ was that?” asked Raven angrily. Her Manehattan accent tended to get thicker the angrier she was. “One minute everything’s fine, then those three bimbos show up, sing a song, and the next thing you know everyone’s arguing at each other!”

“Those three are definitely in possession of some kind of dark magic,” Sunset agreed. “How else could you explain what happened back there?”

“But how would they have gotten the magic to begin with?” Octavia asked, puzzled. “I thought there weren’t any magical objects left now that the Princess is gone!”

“I don’t have the faintest idea,” Sunset admitted. “However they got it, they have to be stopped before they can hypnotize anyone else.” And so they headed toward Principal Celestia’s office.

“Aren’t we gonna follow ‘em?” Sonata asked, watching the girls depart from the hiding place she and Aria had found.

Aria shook her head. “Nah, we already got to Principal Sunbutt, remember? Even so, Dagi _has_ to know about this. If these girls know about magic, that could give us a lot of problems.”

“Okie dokie!” Sonata said, bouncing along toward the cafeteria. Aria face-palmed.

* * *

Sure enough, the visit with Celestia and Luna did not go very well. Celestia dismissed their concerns outright, while Luna insinuated that Sunset may have been trying to take the heat off her in light of the formal. During the conversation, Sunset had noticed the two adults’ eyes were glowing green, just as the students’ had during lunch. Fearing the worst, Sunset quickly left the office with her friends and headed for the halls.

“So much for that idea,” Vinyl said with a sigh. “I can't believe they got to Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna too.”

“It seems like they’ve gotten to everybody,” agreed Gem.

“Not everybody,” reasoned Octavia. “We were there when the Dazzlings were singing and we weren't affected. It was as if we were protected somehow.”

“I think that might be friendship magic at work,” Sunset said. “But I can’t say for sure.”

Gem sighed unhappily. “If only we could get a message to Twilight… Maybe she could tell us how to break the spell the Dazzlings have cast on our friends!”

Sunset smiled. “Actually, that’s a pretty good idea, Gem… and I know just how to do it.” She led them to her locker and pulled out a dusty brown book with a stylized image of the sun on the front cover.

“When I was Princess Celestia's student back in Equestria, she gave me this,” Sunset explained, holding the book out for them to see. “Even after I abandoned my studies, I held onto it. Deep down, I guess I knew I was making a big mistake, and I wanted to still have a way to reach out to her. Maybe it still works.”

Gem blinked. “What does it do?”

“It’s a magic journal,” Sunset replied. “It used to be that if I wrote something here, it would appear in the pages of a book back in Princess Celestia's library. I get a message to _her_ , then _she_ can get a message to Princess Twilight!”

“Then what are you waiting for?!” exclaimed Raven, producing a pen like a magician. “Get to writing!”

Sunset took the pen, and muttered: “Been a long time since I've written _these_ words. _Dear Princess Celestia…_ ” Then she began to write.

* * *

**_Ponyville, Equestria, September 15th_ **

Much had changed in Ponyville over the last few months. In the spring, Princess Twilight had done battle with the evil Tirek, an escapee from Tartarus who had sucked all the magic out from everypony in Equestria, including her fellow princesses. In the aftermath of his defeat, Twilight had received a new [castle](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/6/69/Mane_6_staring_at_the_castle_S4E26.png/revision/latest?cb=20140512194130) courtesy of the Tree of Harmony, as a form of compensation for Tirek’s destruction of Golden Oak Library.

Since then, Twilight and her friends had been busy helping her move into her new castle. While there was still work to be done, the library was on its way to being filled, thanks to a combination of books rescued from the old library (all of them in fact, except the ones that had been checked out, because of a fireproofing spell) and donations from the citizens of Ponyville, Canterlot, and Equestria at large.

The castle itself was truly enormous, more than twice the size of the library had been, and located at the edge of Ponyville’s northwestern end, rather than to the west of Town Hall. Made of blue and purple crystals, it at least resembled a tree, complete with several balconies. (Twilight had already placed a telescope on one of them, given to her by the Equestria National Observatory.) There were far more rooms too, and Twilight had used one of them to build a new laboratory for herself so she could continue her magic experiments. There was also a large kitchen, a master bedroom with a king-size bed for herself and Emerald to sleep in, a throne room, and the aforementioned library, which was where the mirror had been moved to.

The [throne room](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/3/3c/Spike,_Rarity_and_Twilight_in_the_throne_room_EG2.png/revision/latest?cb=20141029005446) contained eight thrones: seven of them were for Twilight and her friends, and were thus marked with their cutie marks, with a smaller unmarked one for Spike. They were arranged in a circular fashion, in the following order: Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Emerald, with Spike’s throne placed right next to Twilight’s right side.

Currently, Emerald was sitting on her throne reading a book. Twilight was on the floor, looking over some correspondence. Music played softly from a gramophone in the corner, its sound reflecting around the room’s many hard surfaces.

Then the throne room doors swung open, and a grey-furred earth pony stallion with a brown mane and tail, brown eyes, and a stetson perched on his head trotted into the room, hitched up to a wagon piled high with old books. His name was Longhaul, and he had been a common sight around Ponyville for quite a few years now. He worked as a freight-hauler, and his latest task was to assist Princess Twilight in her move.

Longhaul cleared his throat and spoke. “Excuse me, Princess. Where do you want all these books from Princess Celestia?” he asked.

Twilight looked up, smiling. “The library please, Longhaul! Third door on the left!”

“Even this one that’s glowing and vibrating?” asked Longhaul, gesturing to a book on the very top of the pile. Sure enough, the book was glowing bright pink and vibrating gently, but insistently.

“Ah, no, I’ll take that one!” Twilight said, springing to her hooves and taking the book in her own magic. “Thank you, Longhaul!”

Longhaul tipped his hat to her, smiling. “You’re most welcome, Princess.” And with that he trotted off to the library to put the books away.

“What’s that book for, Sparks?” Emerald asked, jumping down from her throne like a cat.

Twilight flipped through the book. “It appears to be some kind of diary… the pages alternate between Princess Celestia’s writing and somepony else’s…” She caught a name. “It’s Sunset Shimmer! This is a communication journal!”

Emerald nodded. “Right, a communication journal. And that is…”

“One of two journals that have been enchanted to allow for two-way communication between owners,” Twilight explained. “Very simply, somepony writes a message in one of the books, and the message appears in the book belonging to the other pony, allowing them to communicate over vast distances instantly. It’s much faster than traditional mail, but very rare outside of advanced thaumalogical studies.” She smiled faintly. “I used to have a journal like this as a filly, before Spike was old enough to send mail. This one must have belonged to Princess Celestia!”

“Why would she send it to you, though?” Emerald asked. “Celestia knows Sunset’s alive and well, right? Wouldn’t she want to keep it?”

“She may not know Sunset still has her journal,” Twilight said. She flipped to the last written page before a series of blank ones. “If the journal’s twin is destroyed, the communication spell breaks. Celestia must have assumed that Sunset’s journal was destroyed when she crossed over, and included it in the shipment accidentally.”

Emerald nodded. “Maybe, but this is _Celestia_ we’re talking about. I don’t think she’d be that forgetful.”

“Even princesses make mistakes,” Twilight said, before starting to read. She frowned deeper and deeper with every word. “Oh no…”

“What’s wrong?” Emerald asked. “You’ve got your bad news face on again.”

“It’s a message to Princess Celestia from our friends at Canterlot High,” said Twilight. “It sounds like they need my help! _Our_ help!”

“Go on?” Emerald prompted.

Twilight nodded. “Sunset says three strange girls have hypnotized everyone at the school. The way Sunset Shimmer described them, I think these new girls sound an awful lot like the sirens.”

“You mean the ones Starswirl banished to the human world?” Emerald asked. At Twilight’s nod, she heaved a sigh. “Well, that’s just great. But Star Swirl must have sent them there ages ago. How come they're just surfacing now?”

“I don't know,” admitted Twilight. “But if my hunch is right and it _is_ the sirens who have come to Canterlot High, this spell they've cast is just the beginning.” She ran for the library, Emerald at her heels. “We have to get back to them!”

“I’ll write a note for Spike,” said Emerald, summoning some paper and a quill. She quickly wrote: _Spike: Gone to CHS to solve a magical emergency. Back soon. Love, Em._

Twilight shot a bolt of magic at the casting crystal attached to her portal-opening device, and at once the portal sprang to life, a colorful vortex replacing the normal pane of glass. She and Emerald dove through, and were gone.


	7. The Music in Our Hearts: Part 2

As the school day came to an end, five girls sat at various positions around the Wondercolt statue, waiting for any kind of a reply from a certain purple princess. The letter had been sent shortly after noon, and it was now just after 2 PM. And yet, no word had come.

“Do we have a backup plan in case she doesn’t show?” Vinyl asked Sunset, hitting the pause button on her [iPod](https://bit.ly/3d4rXkp).

Sunset could only shrug. “Not really. Since we don’t have anything like the Elements of Harmony here, we’ll have to figure out some other way for you girls to use your magic, and I don’t even know how magic _works_ in this world.”

Before Vinyl could reply, the stone behind her began to ripple and out flew Twilight and Emerald, returned to their human bodies. They landed in a pile of limbs, struggling to stand.

“TWILIGHT!” chorused all five girls. Sunset and Gem walked over and helped them up.

“Oh, I do hate that you had to return at a time of crisis,” said Gem, before embracing both Equestrians tight. “But we’re glad to see you all the same! There's so much catching up to do!”

“I’ll say,” said Twilight, smiling back at her human friends. “I don’t suppose we could get something to eat first? I forget to eat when I’m on a studying binge.” Her stomach growled, and she blushed.

Gem laughed. “Of course we can, your highness. I know just the place!” And away they went.

* * *

All too soon, the seven friends were sitting at their usual booth at Sugarcube Corner, with milkshakes and pastries in hand.

“So, Twilight?” began Gem. “Perhaps you would give us just the slightest bit of gossip from your world?”

“Well, for starters, she’s got an official title now!” Emerald said at once, imitating a trumpet fanfare. “The Princess of Friendship!”

“Oh, indeed?” Octavia smiled. “How wonderful! What exactly does a Princess of Friendship do?”

“That’s the part I haven’t quite figured out yet,” admitted Twilight, sipping her milkshake.

“Even so, that's really impressive,” agreed Sunset. “Guess you really _were_ Princess Celestia's prized pupil.”

“She's even got her own castle!” Emerald added.

“A castle?! Goodness!” Gem exclaimed, “How charming! Did you not have one already?”

“I used to live in the public library,” Twilight said, but her eyes looked downcast. “It got destroyed a few months ago during a battle with an evil centaur from Tartarus.”

Emerald nodded, “The castle came from that box of keys I told you about before, Gem. It just grew out of the ground like a tree! Even looks like one, only way huger and made of crystal.”

“It sounds beautiful,” said Octavia. “Maybe we can visit sometime!”

Twilight smiled. “I’d love it if you came to visit, all of you. Especially you, Sunset.” (Sunset blushed again.) “But enough about me, what's new here? I mean, besides your school becoming the target of dangerous magical creatures from Equestria. Again. No offense.”

“None taken,” said Sunset automatically.

“Yeah, so, that isn't exactly the _only_ strange thing that's happened since you left,” said Raven, playing a video on her phone of herself transforming while playing guitar. “It happens to all of us when we play!”

Twilight tapped her chin, thinking. “Hmm. My crown was returned to Equestria, but some of its magic must have remained here at Canterlot High,” she said at last. “Enough to begin generating a small magic field!” She turned to Sunset. “You said those new girls were able to hypnotize almost all the human students, right?”

Sunset nodded. “Except for my friends, yeah.”

“Then that confirms it,” Twilight said. “There _is_ a magic field here, and it must be strong if it can cause spontaneous species transformations and hypnotism.” Again she looked to Sunset. “Did they have anything on their person that looked like a magical artifact?”

“The pendants!” Sunset said at once. “Three rubies hanging from a necklace! I could see them glowing at lunch today!”

“Then those must be magical artifacts, just like my crown was,” Twilight said. “And they must be just as powerful!”

“But how do we use _our_ magic?” Gem asked. “We don’t have any magical objects here, aside from Sunset’s journal.”

“You don’t need any,” Twilight explained with a smile. “The magic of friendship protected you from the sirens’ spell, and we can use that same magic to defeat them now, just like when we were able to use it on Sunset Shimmer when she turned into that horrifyingly awful winged monster!” A pause. “No offense.”

“None taken,” Sunset replied, smirking. “Again.”

“Then what are we waiting for?!” Vinyl exclaimed, getting up. “Let’s hit the road! There's a big party tonight for all the bands who signed up to be in the showcase! That would include the Dazzlings!”

“Then we don’t have a moment to lose,” said Twilight, pointing up and looking inspirational. “Let’s show those monsters what _real_ magic is!” And with Vinyl leading the way, they headed back toward CHS.

* * *

Despite the air conditioning which kept the room at a comfortable 72 degrees, the mood in Canterlot High’s gymnasium was frosty as the North Pole. Students stayed tightly packed in their little groups, only venturing out to gather drinks or food from the refreshment tables along one wall.

Surveying the scene from the bleachers, Adagio Dazzle couldn’t help but smirk at the handiwork her song had generated. “Oh, no! No one's mingling! It's like there's some kind of underlying tension that could bubble to the surface at any minute!” she said, gazing down at the spineless humans below.

“It's the fruit punch, isn't it?” said Sonata. “I _knew_ I used too much grape juice!”

Adagio sighed, her good mood dispersing abruptly. “It's _not_ the fruit punch! It's us! This is just the kickoff party, girls. Imagine what a tizzy they'll be in by the time the Battle of the Bands starts.” She rubbed her hands together gleefully. “I can feel our powers strengthening by the second!”

“Maybe it’s because we just got some new arrivals,” said Aria, pointing at the double doors on one side of the room. The members of The Wondercolts were arriving, Twilight in the lead.

“Well, well, well… what have we here?” asked Adagio, climbing down from the bleachers as slinkily as she could manage. “New challengers for the Battle, I take it?”

“We would be, but there isn’t going to _be_ a battle of the bands!” Twilight announced for all to hear. The students stopped their conversations and turned to look, recognizing her from just a few weeks ago.

“Oh no?” purred Adagio, walking right up to Twilight and tipping the purple girl’s chin up so they could gaze into each other’s eyes. (Adagio was taller than the princess, even without the heels she wore.) “And why is that?”

“Because we’re going to stop it!” Twilight replied, pulling Adagio’s arm away from her. She turned to her friends. “Alright girls, let’s do this!”

And, one by one, Gem, Vinyl, Twilight, Raven, Octavia, and Emerald all took one another’s hands as Twilight proclaimed, “FRIENDSHIP! IS! MAAAAAAGIIIIIIC!”

But there was no surge of magical power, no transformation, not even flowing manes and tails. The six girls remained utterly and entirely human, standing awkwardly in the middle of the gym as the rest of the school’s student body stared at them. Sunset, who had been watching from a few feet away, winced.

Raven coughed into the silence and whispered, “Uh, weren't there rainbows and lasers and stuff last time?”

“I don't understand,” Twilight replied. “We're all together again. Why isn't this working? I thought the six of us standing together against the sirens would bring out the magic we needed to defeat them. That's what happened before!”

“Talk about throwing down the gauntlet!” Adagio said loudly, taking ownership of the room once more. “This group is obviously serious about winning! A little cocky though, aren't they? Claiming there won't _really_ be a battle. Seems they think they've already got this thing _all locked up_.” She smirked once more. “Unless of course, the rest of you have anything to say about it?”

“We got something to say!” shouted someone. “YOU GOT NO CHANCE, Wondercolts!” Then, all at once, pandemonium began as everyone else ran for the snack table and started pelting food at Twilight’s group, Sunset included. Green smoke that only Sunset and the Dazzlings could see wafted up from everyone, and the sirens drank it in, their necklaces glowing with power as they did so.

“RUN!” Twilight yelled, heading for the doors. A couple of the larger students tried to block their way, but after seeing Raven pick up a folding chair and threaten them with it, they quickly scattered to join the food-throwers instead.

As the seven girls ran for it, Adagio watched them go, her expression almost hungry. “I think we may have found what we're looking for. Or rather, _it_ found us.”

Sonata blinked. “What found us?”

“Magic!!” snarled Adagio. “Don’t you see?! Everyone else has fallen under our spell. But not _these_ girls.” She pointed to the fleeing Wondercolts. “These girls are _special_. They have magic of their own, especially that purple one with the star on her dress. Magic that is protecting them from our song.”

“Ohhh!” Sonata nodded vigorously. “That just means we’re gonna have to work extra hard to bend them to our wills, right?”

Adagio nodded. “Exactly, little sister. Their magic is reliant on the power of friendship. What we have to do is split them up.” She snapped her fingers and pointed to the doors. “Let’s get going, we have a breakup to engineer.” And so the three sirens departed.

* * *

Feeling defeated, the seven girls retreated to the safety of Gem’s house. Sitting forlornly around the sitting room, they reflected on their disastrous first attempt at stopping the Dazzlings.

“It doesn't make any sense,” Twilight was saying. “I should have been able to create the spark that would help us break their spell! That's how it worked before!”

“But to defeat me, you drew magic from the crown _I_ was wearing,” Sunset pointed out. “The sirens' magic comes from their music. So maybe _you_ have to use the same kind of magic to defeat _them_.” A pause. “Or, uh… maybe not.”

Twilight smiled, “No, I think you’re on to something, Sunset.” She turned to her fellow student of Celestia. “It’s when your friends play music that they transform now, right?”

Sunset nodded. “Ears, tails, the whole shebang.”

“So maybe the way to use that magic to defeat the sirens is by playing a musical counter-spell!” Twilight exclaimed, beaming excitedly.

“So… a song,” said Emerald.

Twilight nodded, “Precisely! And in order to free everyone who's been exposed to the sirens' spell, we'll need them all to hear it!”

“But when will that be?” Vinyl asked.

Octavia snapped her fingers. “The band competition! That's the next time we can be certain everyone will be in the same place at the same time!”

“And we will need a songwriter, if we are to pull this off,” Gem agreed. “And a vocalist!”

“You don’t already have one?” Emerald asked, puzzled.

Gem shook her head. “Usually we take turns, but for something this important, having a dedicated lead vocalist would be useful.”

“I suppose I can try!” said Twilight. “I might take a little too long to learn how to play something with these.” She wiggled her fingers, having spent most of the day holding her hands as if they were hooves.

“Do you have a guitarist?” Emerald asked. “I can play a bit back home.” She frowned at her hands. “Might be hard with these.”

“I could teach you, if you wanted,” Sunset offered. “I picked up the guitar shortly after I moved here to improve my manual dexterity, and it matched that whole rebellious image I was going for.”

Emerald smiled. “I’d love it, Sunset. Thanks.”

Sunset smiled back, pleased to have a role at last. “Great! Lemme just swing by my apartment, I’ll grab my guitar and we can start lessons after dinner!”

“Actually, what _are_ we having for dinner?” Raven wondered. “It’s getting kinda late, and we never got the chance to eat anything at that party.”

“Let’s order pizza,” suggested Vinyl. “Meat toppings for us carnivores, veggies for the pony girls?”

“Sounds good to me,” Sunset said, getting up. “I’ll go to my apartment now, I should be back by the time the pizza arrives.”

“See you soon!” Gem chirped, grabbing her laptop to begin placing their orders.

* * *

Unfortunately, Twilight soon found that writing a musical counter spell was not as easy as she thought it would be. She worked late into the night, pausing only to eat a few slices of pizza with her friends before going back to work. It didn’t help that she could barely manage a legible scrawl with these terribly inefficient human hands, and she had to write in their language rather than in the casting runes of her native Equestrian. (The portal only did so much when it came to language translation.)

“I wish I had my telekinesis,” Twilight muttered to herself as she put her pen down for what felt like the millionth time, and ripped her latest attempt out of the notebook and crumpled it into a ball to join the others in a slowly-growing pile. By now, it was a little after midnight. The large house was almost utterly dark and silent, save for the small puddle of light made by the fixture above her head. She was sitting at Gem’s kitchen island, on a chair that was quite tall.

As she picked up the pen for another attempt, she heard the soft sound of someone padding down the stairs in bare feet, and soon Sunset was there, standing in the kitchen doorway wearing pink pajamas with her cutie mark on the front of the shirt. “Hey, Twilight,” she began. “You're up late. Still working on that counter-spell?”

Twilight nodded, frowning. “Unfortunately, it’s not going very well. I just don’t think I’m a songwriter.”

“You sure about that?” Sunset asked, smirking slightly. “I remember that song you sang to get everyone at school to vote for you in the princess election. It was pretty catchy.”

Twilight blushed. “It was also totally improvised. That’s not really going to cut it this time. We only get one shot at this, it has to be _perfect_.”

Sunset nodded. “Must be nice to have everyone always looking to you for answers to their problems... instead of waiting for you to _cause_ a problem.”

“Just because everyone expects something from you doesn't mean it's guaranteed to happen,” Twilight pointed out.

“Well, that doesn't stop them from expecting it,” said Sunset.

“Which only makes things harder because the last thing you want to do is…” Twilight added.

“…let everybody down,” they both said unison. Sunset came over and placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Anyway… Twilight, it’s after midnight, and even princesses need to sleep. Come back upstairs and get some rest, I’m sure you’ll feel more creative in the morning. And if not, maybe we can all work on the spell together.”

“You think that’s a good idea?” Twilight asked. “What if the others are disappointed that I couldn’t do it myself?”

Sunset smiled. “You didn’t earn those wings doing things yourself, Twilight. You earned them by making friends. You’re a better student of Celestia than I ever was.” She walked back toward the stairs, and waited to see if Twilight would follow.

Twilight soon did so, closing the notebook and following Sunset back upstairs. She may not have had a spell ready, but her heart still felt lighter all the same.

* * *

The next day, Twilight was able to wrangle a rough idea for a song during study hall, after reading every book the school library had on songwriting. That afternoon, the band reconvened at Octavia’s house for the final rehearsal before the battle itself began the following day. Vinyl was on drums, Gem on keyboards, Octavia on bass guitar, Raven on lead guitar, Emerald on rhythm guitar, and and Twilight on vocals. (Sunset monitored the gear.)

“Alright, here goes,” Twilight said, straightening the lyric sheet on the stand in front of her. “Ready?”

“Ready!” said the other girls, and at a countdown from Vinyl, they began to [play](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkl-71UPs-4).

> _Hey, hey, listen_
> 
> _We've got a message for you_
> 
> _We're not all alike_
> 
> _But our friendship is true_
> 
> _Yeah, we're really different_
> 
> _But we still get along_
> 
> _So hey, hey, listen to our song_
> 
> _You may think you're in control_
> 
> _But we're here to prove you wrong_
> 
> _With our friendship and our music_
> 
> _With the power of our song_
> 
> _Gonna stomp our feet, clap our hands_
> 
> _With the magic of friendship_
> 
> _Gonna stop your evil plan_

The performance was abysmal. Twilight’s vocals were nervous and halting, a far cry from her confident performance in the cafeteria. This had the effect of causing the other girls to play poorly, missing cues or playing off-beat altogether. The only one who played truly decently was Raven, who put in as much energy as she could into her lead guitar work.

Eventually, the song shuddered to a halt. “I think it's pretty obvious what's going wrong with this counter-spell,” said Raven, as she re-tuned her guitar.

Emerald raised an eyebrow. “You're turning what should be the chorus into a five-minute guitar solo?”

“I have to pick up the slack _some_ how! Are you guys even trying?!” Raven shot back. “And Twilight, I’m sorry, but those lyrics you wrote were just awful. The Dazzlings are definitely gonna know something’s up if we play that tomorrow!”

Emerald jabbed a finger in Raven’s face. “Hey! Lay off my marefriend, Sable! She’s trying, okay?! She’s been under a lot of pressure since getting those wings, so what if her songwriting’s a little sketchy?!”

“I’ll tell you so what!” Raven shouted. “If we blow this, the Dazzlings are gonna take control and maybe brainwash everyone into being their servants!”

“You think I don’t know that?!” Emerald yelled. “We’re doing the best we can here!”

“EVERYONE SHUT UP!” Vinyl roared. When there was silence, she began to speak again, in a quieter voice this time. “Raven, stop being so hard on Twilight. Emerald, excuse the pun, but try to rein in your temper a bit, okay? We don’t need both of you exploding at each other.”

“Yeah, okay,” said Emerald, reaching out to hug Raven. “Sorry.”

Raven returned the hug, smiling. “Don’t sweat it. I’m sorry too, to you and Twilight. I know this kind of thing can’t be easy.”

“Do we have a plan for tomorrow?” Octavia asked.

Raven nodded, “The way I see it, the best thing to do is compete in the Battle of the Bands for real. The rest of us can trade off lead vocals to buy Twilight time, and we stay alive until the finals. We unleash the counter-spell _then_!”

“Sounds good to me,” said Vinyl with a grin. “Let’s rock, girls.”

* * *

The day of the competition arrived. Due to the large number of bands competing, the ceremonies began at 9 AM on that Saturday in Canterlot High’s gymnasium. The bleachers were packed with students, while Celestia and Luna sat at a folding table acting as judges. Things got off to an unambitious start with an abysmal rap performance from Snips and Snails, who were eliminated almost immediately after leaving the stage.

The Wondercolts went on stage as the last act before lunch, deciding by mutual agreement to perform a cheerful pop song to lighten the tense mood pervading the auditorium.

As they got ready to play, Twilight offered a few words of advice to her friends before returning to work on her counter-spell. “Remember, you have to be good enough to make it through but not _so_ good that you let the sirens see the magic within you. They could realize you plan to use it against them.”

Raven nodded, "Got it! Be cool enough to win, but not _so_ cool that we end up showing off the whole ears and tails and rainbows thing. I think we can do that.” She smiled at her bandmates. “Ready, girls?”

“Ready!” the others said in unison. The curtain opened, Vinyl counted down, and they began to [play](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJnYZskgzkg).

> _We've just got the day to get ready_
> 
> _And there's only so much time to lose_
> 
> _Because tonight, yeah, we're here to party_
> 
> _So let's think of something fun to do_
> 
> _We don't know (we don't know) what's gonna happen_
> 
> _We just know (we just know) it's gonna feel right_
> 
> _All our friends are here_
> 
> _And it's time to ignite the lights!_
> 
> _Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight_
> 
> _Shake your tail, shake your tail_
> 
> _Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight_
> 
> _Shake your tail, shake your tail_

“So what you didn't get it right the first time,” sang Twilight.

“Laugh it off, no one said it is a crime,” added Vinyl.

“Do your thing, you know you're an original,” put in Gem.

“Your ideas are so funny that they're criminal,” finished Emerald.

Then they all sang in unison again:

> _Ohhh-ahh!_
> 
> _We've just got the day to get ready_
> 
> _And there's only so much time to lose_
> 
> _Because tonight, yeah, we're here to party_
> 
> _So let's think of something fun to do_
> 
> _We don't know (we don't know) what's gonna happen_
> 
> _We just know (we just know) it's gonna feel right_
> 
> _All our friends are here_
> 
> _And it's time to ignite the lights!_
> 
> _Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight_
> 
> _Shake your tail, shake your tail_
> 
> _Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight_
> 
> _Shake your tail, shake your tail_
> 
> _Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight_
> 
> _Shake your tail, shake your tail_
> 
> _Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight_
> 
> _Shake your tail, shake your tail_
> 
> _Shake your tail 'cause we're here to have a party tonight!_

But during the second pre-chorus, disaster struck. The six girls began to glow with magic and transform into ponies, ears and tails sprouting from seemingly nowhere, with fur coming next.

Panicking from her position backstage, Sunset didn’t think, she only reacted. She dove for Raven, tackling her to the ground. Raven fell over, knocking Gem’s keyboard from its stand and sending it flying into her. Gem tried to duck out of the way, but the keyboard careening into her caused her to get knocked into Octavia, whose bass went flying, missing Vinyl by inches.

“Sunset, what the hell?!” shouted Raven as the lights came up, her pony features fading. “You nearly broke half our instruments!”

“You were showing them your magic!” Sunset exclaimed. “I-I didn't know what else to do!”

“Close the curtains? Unplug her amp? Give us a chance to deal with the situation?” Gem asked icily, her eyes narrowed as she glared at the redhead.

“You were all changing, I had to think fast!” Sunset replied. “I'm sorry, I just wanted to help!”

“Well, you didn’t,” Emerald shot back, stalking off stage. The rest of the girls recovered their instruments and made a quick exit, leaving Sunset alone as the rest of the crowd went to lunch. Students jeered and shouted hurtful things at her as they passed by, including statements like “Now _that's_ the bad girl we love to hate!” and “I knew she was still trouble!” plus “The _real_ Sunset Shimmer is back!”

Sunset ran from the gym and into the halls, completely lacking an appetite. Seeking shelter in a darkened hallway, she leaned against a locker and began to cry quietly, feeling utterly alone.

But then she heard the sound of the sirens vocalizing, and in came Adagio and her sisters, smirking. “Well, well, well… if it isn’t Canterlot High’s disgraced queen bee,” Adagio said, her hands on her hips as she looked down at Sunset.

“You… you know about that?” Sunset asked in a small voice.

Adagio nodded. “Oh, we know all about you, Sunset Shimmer. You've got quite the reputation at Canterlot High.” Her smirk grew wider. “And that little stunt of yours in the gym isn’t doing you any favors either.”

“I've changed! I'm in a much better place now!” Sunset shot back.

“Oh yeah?” asked Aria. “Waiting in the wings while your friends have all the fun?”

“Oh, yes, you girls are _so_ tight,” purred Adagio. “And yet... they didn't ask you to be in the band.”

“Probably afraid no one would want to see them play if _she_ was in the group,” agreed Aria.

“Too bad! So sad!” chipped in Sonata.

“If it's any consolation, no one is going to remember you at all by the time we're done,” Adagio said. “It seems like you already know _all_ about us, so I’m going to let you in on a little secret.” She leaned in close. “The moment our magic has been restored and we’ve been returned to our true bodies, we’re not just going to make this pathetic little inter dimensional backwater our personal fiefdom. We’re going back to Equestria, and we’ll do what you _failed_ to do during the Formal.”

“You’ll never get anywhere near Equestria,” Sunset said fiercely. “Not if my friends and I have anything to do with it!”

Adagio chuckled darkly. “Oh yes, you and your ‘friends…’ The most pathetic bunch of useless bipeds there ever was. Not that you can really call them friends anymore.” She bared her teeth, the smile fading and changing into a grimace. “If you think the magic of friendship is going to protect you, you are _sorely_ mistaken, little pony. The Wondercolts are just as capable of falling apart as anyone else, and one way or the other, they’ll all be under our spell.” She turned on her heel and left, her evil laughter echoing off the lockers.

* * *

After lunch came the semi-finals. By this point, most of the bands had been eliminated from contention, with only three remaining: the Wondercolts, the Dazzlings, and Trixie and the Illusions. The finals themselves would be held on Sunday night at the Canterlot Bowl, a venue similar to that of the Applewood Bowl, only saddle-shaped.

Inside the gym, the mood was tense as the crowd waited for Trixie’s band to take the stage. Backstage, the Wondercolts were in the green room, pointedly ignoring Sunset after the disruption from earlier. (It was actually a teacher’s lounge that the students were permitted to use for the event.)

“How’s the counter spell going, Sparks?” Emerald asked, sitting beside Twilight on one of the green room’s couches.

“Better,” Twilight replied. “It should be ready in time for tomorrow night.”

“Assuming there _is_ a tomorrow night,” said Raven, glaring at Sunset, who sat alone on a chair, nursing a Dr. Pepper. (Little did she know the Dazzlings had already planned on manipulating the entire competition.)

“I’m sure we’ll get there, dear heart,” said Gem, squeezing Raven’s hand. “We wouldn’t have transformed if we weren’t all talented musicians.”

“At least someone can be optimistic,” Vinyl said with a sigh.

Back on the stage, Trixie’s band ran through their [number](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OdibuqE7wk), an egotistical tune Trixie wrote expressing how great and powerful she was:

> _Ya better believe_
> 
> _I got tricks up my sleeve_
> 
> _And I captivate_
> 
> _'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat_
> 
> _Ya better believe_
> 
> _I got tricks up my sleeve_
> 
> _See me dominate_
> 
> _'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat_
> 
> _You think you've got what it takes to go toe to toe?_
> 
> _I've got more moves than you'll ever know_
> 
> _I own the stage, I'm all the rage_
> 
> _You're from the past, I'm from the Space Age_
> 
> _Come on, you're just making noise_
> 
> _Listen how my music destroys_
> 
> _Anything you throw at me_
> 
> _I'm gonna throw back, just wait and see-ee_
> 
> _Ya better believe_
> 
> _I got tricks up my sleeve_
> 
> _And I captivate_
> 
> _'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat_
> 
> _Ya better believe_
> 
> _I got tricks up my sleeve_
> 
> _See me dominate_
> 
> _'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat_
> 
> _I'm here to take you down a peg_
> 
> _Oh, whoa, oh-whoa-oh-whoa-oh-oh_
> 
> _By the time I'm done, you're gonna beg_
> 
> _Oh, whoa, oh-whoa-oh-whoa-oh-oh_
> 
> _To be in my band, application rejected!_
> 
> _Don't look so sad and so dejected_
> 
> _Don't mean to brag, don't mean to boast_
> 
> _But I'm a six-course meal and you're just burnt toast_
> 
> _Think I'm gonna ever give up?_
> 
> _No, never, ever, ever, ever!_
> 
> _Come on, you're just making noise_
> 
> _Listen how my music destroys_
> 
> _Anything you throw at me_
> 
> _I'm gonna throw back, just wait and see-ee_
> 
> _Ya better believe_
> 
> _I got tricks up my sleeve_
> 
> _And I captivate_
> 
> _'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat_
> 
> _Ya better believe_
> 
> _I got tricks up my sleeve_
> 
> _See me dominate_
> 
> _'Cause I'm powerful and grea-ea-eat!_

As her song finished to a smattering of applause, the Dazzlings went up next. A pre-recorded backing track began to play from the gym speakers as they started to [sing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Neb6aWzfzHM), all three wearing wireless microphones that didn’t impede movement.

> _Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _You didn't know that you fell_
> 
> _Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _Now that you're under our spell_
> 
> _Blindsided by the beat_
> 
> _Clapping your hands, stomping your feet_
> 
> _You didn't know that you fell_
> 
> _Now you've fallen under our spell_
> 
> _We've got the music, makes you move it_
> 
> _Got the song that makes you lose it_
> 
> _We say "jump", you say "how high?"_
> 
> _Put your hands up to the sky_
> 
> _We've got the music, makes you move it_
> 
> _Got the song that makes you lose it_
> 
> _We say "jump", you say "how high?"_
> 
> _Put your hands up to the sky_
> 
> _Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _You didn't know that you fell_
> 
> _Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _Now that you're under our spell_
> 
> _Listen to the sound of my voice_
> 
> _Soon you'll find you don't have a choice_
> 
> _Captured in the web of my song_
> 
> _Soon you'll all be singing along_
> 
> _We've got the music, makes you move it_
> 
> _Got the song that makes you lose it_
> 
> _We say "jump", you say "how high?"_
> 
> _Put your hands up to the sky_
> 
> _We've got the music, makes you move it_
> 
> _Got the song that makes you lose it_
> 
> _We say "jump", you say "how high?"_
> 
> _Put your hands up to the sky_
> 
> _Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _You didn't know that you fell_
> 
> _Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _Now that you're under our spell_
> 
> _Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _You didn't know that you fell_
> 
> _Oh-whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _Now that you're under our_
> 
> _Spell_

The students swayed in time to the beat, an eerie green glow as the magical hypnosis they’d been placed under grew stronger. Not even the principals were immune, Luna drew a heart on her ballot rather than a number. When the song ended, the audience clapped and applauded and chanted the Dazzlings’ name.

Emerald groaned as she and the rest of the group headed to the stage amidst a chorus of boos as Principal Celestia announced they were up next. (Twilight and Sunset stayed behind in the green room to finish the counter-spell.) “Ugh… this is going to be a disaster…”

“At least Trixie’s certain not to go on,” Octavia observed. “She went over about as well as Snips and Snails.”

“At least Trixie had talent,” Vinyl pointed out. “It’s just outweighed by her ego.”

“See you tomorrow, Wondercolts,” purred Adagio, as the Dazzlings went in the opposite direction.

Raven froze. “What do you mean, see you tomorrow?” she asked Adagio.

Adagio chuckled and stroked Raven’s cheek, earning a glare from Gem, which she ignored. “Why, you don’t really think we’d play fair, do you?” she said. “You girls were selected as the group to face us in the finals from the very beginning, the rest of the contest was a formality.”

“This entire thing was rigged?!” Emerald exclaimed. “I can’t believe it!”

“Believe it,” Adagio replied. “So relax… you’ll still win, no matter how poorly you play.” She chuckled deviously as she walked off toward the green room, Aria and Sonata in her wake.

“That bitch,” Raven snarled. “We’d better bust their asses tomorrow, or I’ll never be able to live with myself.” Then the curtain drew back, and they launched into their semi-final [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzVk6pbRAE4):

> _When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide_
> 
> _Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride_
> 
> _'Till I get to the bottom and I see you again!_
> 
> _Yeah, yeah, yeah!_
> 
> _Do you, don't you want me to love you?_
> 
> _I'm coming down fast but I'm miles above you_
> 
> _Tell me, tell me, tell me, come on tell me the answer!_
> 
> _You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer_
> 
> _Look out!_
> 
> _Helter skelter_
> 
> _Helter skelter_
> 
> _Helter skelter_
> 
> _Will you, won't you want me to make you?_
> 
> _I'm coming down fast, but don't let me break you_
> 
> _Tell me, tell me, tell me, baby, tell me the answer!_
> 
> _You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer_
> 
> _Helter skelter_
> 
> _Helter skelter_
> 
> _Helter skelter_
> 
> _When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide_
> 
> _And I stop and I turn and I go for a ride_
> 
> _And I get to the bottom and I see you again!_
> 
> _Yeah, yeah, yeah!_
> 
> _Well do you, don't you want me to make you?_
> 
> _I'm coming down fast, but don't let me break you_
> 
> _Tell me, tell me, tell me the answer!_
> 
> _You may be a lover but you ain't no dancer_
> 
> _Look out!_
> 
> _Helter skelter_
> 
> _Helter skelter_
> 
> _Helter skelter_

Unlike the song they’d played earlier, there was no danger of transformation this time, so saturated were they with anger and frustration. Watching from the bleachers, the Dazzlings soaked in this negative energy, pleased at what they’d been able to accomplish.

The curtain drew closed to the sound of reluctant applause. When it had faded, Celestia spoke into the microphone one last time: “The band that will be joining the Dazzlings in tonight's finals is... The Wondercolts! Congratulations, girls. You deserve it.”

“The hell we do,” Raven grumbled. The boos and jeers began again and they beat a hasty retreat.

* * *

With the finals not taking place until nightfall, the Wondercolts spent the morning and afternoon rehearsing Twilight’s new and improved counter-spell, but there was still a problem: no matter how earnestly they tried to play, the magic refused to work, they remained entirely human.

“I don’t get it!” Raven shouted, stomping her feet in frustration. “Why isn’t this working?!”

“I think I know why,” said Sunset, speaking for the first time since yesterday. “It’s because we’re not acting like friends anymore. The magic of friendship only works when all of us are united, and the Dazzlings have been getting under our skins ever since they got here. I never said anything 'cause I didn't feel like it was my place. Not when I was so new to this whole "friendship" thing. But I do know that by staying divided like we have been, the magic of friendship can be turned into something else.”

“I can't believe all this tension was happening right under my nose and I didn't realize it,” Twilight said from her corner. “I’m supposed to be the one with all the answers. And all I've done since I got here is let you down.”

“I don't think anyone is supposed to have _all_ the answers,” Sunset replied. “But you _can_ count on your friends to help you find them.”

“Well, before we try again, I got something to say,” said Raven, approaching Sunset. “I’m sorry I blew up at you over yesterday. You were only doing what you thought was right.”

“And I’m sorry we treated you so poorly afterward,” Gem added, smiling apologetically at Sunset. “Can you forgive us?”

Sunset smiled. “I already have.”

“Now that’s settled,” said Vinyl from behind her drum kit, “I think it’s time to prove we've still got the magic of friendship inside us!”

“Which version of the counter-spell are we going to play tonight?” asked Octavia.

“I don't think it matters _what_ song we play, as long as we play it together as friends,” said Twilight, stepping up to the microphone. “Let’s do one more rehearsal, and save the spell for the finals.”

“Sounds good to me,” Emerald said with a grin. “I got just the thing! [1, 2, 3, 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOcgUO8SxTk)!”

> _There was a time we were apart_
> 
> _But that's behind us now_
> 
> _See how we've made a brand new start_
> 
> _And the future's lookin' up, ah-oh, ah-oh_
> 
> _And when you walk these halls_
> 
> _You feel it everywhere_
> 
> _Yeah, we're the Wondercolts forever, ah-oh, yeah!_
> 
> _We are all together_
> 
> _(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)_
> 
> _Now it's better than ever_
> 
> _(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)_
> 
> _You can feel it, we are back (You... can... feel... it...)_
> 
> _And I'm so glad that we're better_
> 
> _Better than ever_
> 
> _Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _Oh yeah, we're better than ever_
> 
> _Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_

“There was a time we couldn't see past the differences,” sang Raven.

“That separated you and me, and it left us on our own,” added Emerald.

“But now you walk these halls, and friends are everywhere,” Vinyl threw in.

Then, all together:

> _Yeah, we're the Wondercolts forever, ah-oh, yeah!_
> 
> _We are all together_
> 
> _(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)_
> 
> _Now it's better than ever_
> 
> _(Ah, ah, oh-oh-oh-oh)_
> 
> _Now that we are back on track (Now... that... we... are...)_
> 
> _Yes, I'm so glad that we're better_
> 
> _Better than ever_
> 
> _Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _Oh yeah, we're better than ever_
> 
> _Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _Oh yeah, we're better than ever_
> 
> _Whoa-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _Oh yeah, we're better than ever!_
> 
> And this time, they did pony up after all.

***

The Canterlot Bowl was packed as the final of the Battle of the Bands began. Most of the crowd was there to see the Dazzlings, who would be performing first. As a [backing track](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQOuuNW4n7A) boomed through the stadium’s sound system, the three sirens (dressed in new outfits just for the occasion) began to sing their third and final song:

> _Welcome to the show_
> 
> _We're here to let you know_
> 
> _Our time is now_
> 
> _Your time is running out_
> 
> _Feel the wave of sound_
> 
> _As it crashes down_
> 
> _You can't turn away_
> 
> _We'll make you wanna sta-a-a-ay_
> 
> _We will be adored_
> 
> _Tell us that you want us_
> 
> _We won't be ignored_
> 
> _It's time for our reward_
> 
> _Now you need us_
> 
> _Come and heed us_
> 
> _Nothing can stop us now!_

With their magical powers the strongest they’d been in centuries, the three of them began a terrifying transformation of their own. Transparent draconic wings formed on their backs, their skin hardened into shimmering scales, their legs fused together to form fish-like tails, and their noses and mouths pushed out into draconic muzzles, while their ears moved to the tops of their heads and their hands became more like webbed fins. Suddenly, they were no longer human, but the aquatic creatures they had been in Equestria.

If the humans in the audience hadn’t been so thoroughly brainwashed, they might’ve screamed at the sight, but they barely reacted, swaying to the music and cheering instead. The Dazzlings, it seemed, were victorious.

But then on a nearby hill, a white car with blue and purple accents drove up, and six teenage girls piled out of it, all except Vinyl, who pressed a button on the dashboard, transforming the car into a DJ stand. Wearing colorful new outfits of their own, the six Wondercolts began a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-erWXrMv68) of their own, interrupting the Dazzlings and changing immediately into their pony forms:

> _Oh-oh, oh-whoa-oh_
> 
> _I've got the music in me_
> 
> _Oh-oh, oh-whoa-oh_

“Don't need to hear a crowd, cheering out my name,” sang Twilight. “I didn't come here seeking infamy or fame.”

> _The one and only thing_
> 
> _That I am here to bring_
> 
> _Is music, is the music_
> 
> _Is the music in my soul_
> 
> _Gonna break out (Out!)_
> 
> _Set myself free, yeah_
> 
> _Let it all go (Go!)_
> 
> _Just let it be, yeah_
> 
> _Find the music in your heart_
> 
> _Let the music make you start_
> 
> _To set yourself apart_

But the Dazzlings weren’t having any of it. “So the Wondercolts want to turn this into a _real_ Battle of the Bands?” Adagio snarled. “Then let's battle!”

> _What we have in store (ah-ah)_
> 
> _All we want and more (ah-ah)_
> 
> _We will break on through (ah-ah)_
> 
> _Now it's time to finish you!_

“PLAY FOR YOUR LIVES!” Raven shouted, as the three nightmarish sea-monsters somehow flew through the air, singing angrily and wordlessly like enraged opera singers. The Wondercolts returned fire as best they could with Twilight singing lead, but it didn’t seem to be enough. With one final burst of vocals, Twilight lost her grip on the mic, sending it into the air to land at Sunset’s feet. The six of them crumpled to the ground, brought low by the force of the Dazzlings’ dark magic. They had been defeated.

There was a brief silence. A wind blew as Sunset picked up the mic, unsure of what to do. Who was she, against three immortal creatures who were so close to winning?

“Sunset… please… we need you…” said Twilight, reaching her hand out toward the amber-skinned girl.

Sunset made her decision. Scrounging together all of her courage, she threw off her jacket and held the mic tight. “Vinyl… give me a beat.”

Vinyl did so, and Sunset began to sing, glaring up at the three sirens. “You're never gonna bring me down, you’re never gonna break this part of me! My friends are here to bring me ‘round, not singing just for popularity!”

As she sang, Sunset began a transformation of her own, swiftly morphing not into a demon, but a humanoid unicorn pony. Taking Twilight’s hand in hers, Sunset helped the alicorn to stand, and the rest of the group did likewise, joining in with Sunset’s song:

> _We're here to let you know_
> 
> _That we won't let it go_
> 
> _Our music is a bomb and it's about to blow_
> 
> _And you can try to fight_
> 
> _But we have got the light of_
> 
> _Friendship on our side!_
> 
> _Got the music in our hearts_
> 
> _We're here to blow this thing apart_
> 
> _And together, we will never_
> 
> _Be afraid of the dark_
> 
> _Here to sing our song out loud_
> 
> _Get you dancing with the crowd_
> 
> _As the music of our friendship_
> 
> _Survives, survives!_
> 
> _Got the music in our hearts_
> 
> _We're here to blow this thing apart_
> 
> _And together, we will never_
> 
> _Be afraid of the dark_
> 
> _Here to sing our song out loud_
> 
> _Get you dancing with the crowd_
> 
> _As the music of our friendship_
> 
> _Survives, survives, survives!_

As the song echoed around the stadium, magical waves flew out from the hill, crashing right into the Dazzlings and sending them flying into the back of the stage, transformed into humans once again. The necklaces they’d used to feed were smashed to bits, utterly beyond repair, and freeing those who’d been brainwashed once and for all. They tried to sing again, but without the magic, their vocals were off-key and discordant. As the crowd booed, they ran off into the night.

With the battle over, the crowd dispersed. Now changed back into humans themselves, the Wondercolts climbed up onto the stage to find only shattered rubies and splattered fruits. Sunset picked up a shard, careful not to cut herself. “It’s over… it’s really over…”

Twilight nodded, “Without those pendants and the magic you brought here from Equestria, they're just three harmless teenage girls.”

“Do you think we’ll ever see them again?” Gem wondered, looking to the alicorn.

“I can’t say,” admitted Twilight. “I don’t think so though.”

“Well, I think it’s safe to say that were it not for you,” began Octavia, “We would never have beaten them.” She adjusted her pink bow tie, and curtsied. “Thank you, Princess.”

Twilight smiled. “Actually? I think you girls would’ve been able to pull this off all by yourselves. You didn’t need me after all.” She hugged each of them in turn, then said, “I think I can stay one more day before going home… it’d be nice to see what this world has to offer without a crisis to solve.”

Sunset smiled back. “Good thing tomorrow’s a staff development day. We can go to the mall, do some shopping, maybe catch a movie or two… how does that sound?”

Emerald grinned. “Buck yeah. Count me in!”

“In that case, let’s hurry home,” said Gem happily. “We’ll need our beauty rest for tomorrow!” And with that, the seven friends headed off to Vinyl’s car for the ride back.

* * *

The next afternoon, Twilight and Emerald went back to the Wondercolt statue, having spent a happy day shopping for souvenirs and catching a movie too.

“Sure wish you could stay longer,” said Vinyl, as the seven of them trooped up to the portal together.

“Me too,” admitted Twilight. “But Emerald and I have responsibilities in Equestria that we have to get back to. Its citizens need us.” She smiled. “But remember, now we can go through the portal whenever we need to. This isn't goodbye. It's just goodbye 'til next time.” She hugged each of them one last time before turning to Emerald. “Ready, Emmy?”

“Ready, Sparks,” Emerald said with a grin. And, holding hands, the two of them walked together through the portal and out of sight.

* * *

**_Canterlot Bowl, One Week Later_ **

As her friends set up their instruments for rehearsals for their first real concert, Sunset sat on the stage, leaning against an amplifier as she wrote in her old journal.

> _Dear Princess Twilight,_
> 
> _Missing you already, and I hope you'll be back soon. Things are definitely looking up for me here at Canterlot High. But I know I still have a lot to learn about friendship. Hope you don't mind if I write to you for advice when I need it._
> 
> _Your friend, Sunset Shimmer._

“Hey, Sunny!” Raven called. “You ready or what?”

“Ready!” Sunset said with a grin, grabbing her guitar and going to join the others. Vinyl counted them down, and the six friends began to play a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTnXooBhJ0k) they’d written together:

“Once upon a time,” sang Raven, "You came into my world and made the stars align.”

“Now I can see the signs,” sang Gem and Octavia together, “You pick me up when I get down so I can shine!”

Then, together: “Shine like rainbows… Shine like rainbows…”

“Friends, you are in my life,” continued Raven, “And you can count on me to be there by your side.”

“And when the music comes alive,” added Sunset, “We sing our songs to lift us up so we can shine!”

Then:

> _And the sound that we hear in our hearts_
> 
> _Makes a crescendo_
> 
> _And the light that ignites in the dark_
> 
> _It makes us all glow_
> 
> _And shine like rainbows_
> 
> _We shine like rainbows_
> 
> _Together we stand_
> 
> _As the rain begins to fall_
> 
> _And holding our heads up high_
> 
> _As the sun shines through it all_
> 
> _And the sound that we hear in our hearts_
> 
> _Makes a crescendo_
> 
> _And the light that ignites in the dark_
> 
> _It makes us all glow_
> 
> _And shine like rainbows_
> 
> _We shine like rainbows_
> 
> _Shine like rainbows_
> 
> _We shine like rainbows_
> 
> _We shine like rainbows_

* * *

In a laboratory on the far side of Canterlot, a girl with lavender-colored skin and blue hair streaked with purple and pink pinned another print-out to a [pinboard](https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/4/43/Twilight_looking_at_the_pinboard_EG2.png/revision/latest?cb=20141028103249)containing her findings. A strange form of energy she couldn’t identify had been picked up on her equipment a month previous, and she’d spent the rest of that time trying to figure out what it was, and where it came from. In the last 24 hours, there’d been an enormous spike in her readings, and she now had cause to believe it was spreading throughout the entire city, rather than just the region near CHS.

Once the paper was pinned to the board, the girl stood back to look at it in context. She wore a white lab coat and a blue turtleneck sweater, and especially thick black rectangular glasses. She nodded once. “No doubt about it, Emmy. There's definitely something strange going on at that school.”

The yellow-skinned girl with curly brown hair nodded in agreement. “So Sparks, what are you gonna do tonight?”

“The same thing I’ve been doing every night, Emerald,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “Try to solve this mystery.”


End file.
